Parallel: From the Beginning
by Dreams of the Future
Summary: Set in a Parallel World. Kuroko Tetsuya is a former member of the legendary "The Generation of Miracles" who now attends Seirin High School. There she meets Kagami Taiga and decides to becomes his shadow, which is only the beginning of their many adventures of their fruitful and fun-packed High School life. Kagami/fem!Kuroko and other pairings inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Edit (v.04.2): 14th January 2013**

**ALL LISTS ARE INCOMPLETE.**

**Pairings: **

- eventual Kagami/fem!Kuroko

- past!Aomine/fem!Kuroko

- Hyuuga/Riko

- Takao/fem!Midorima**  
**

- onesided!male!Momoi/fem!Kuroko (obviously one-sided on Momoi's side)

- (?)/fem!Kise

- onesided!Akashi/fem!Midorima (One-sided on Akashi's part)

- Murasakibara/(?)

**Gender-bended Characters: **

Kuroko Tetsuya (黒子 テツヤ; no name change)

Kise Ryouta- Kise Ryouko (黄瀬 良子)

Midorima Shintarou- Midorima Makoto (緑間 真)

Momoi Satsuki (桃井 さつき; no name change)

Kasamatsu Yukio- Kasamatsu Yukino (笠松 幸乃)

Tanimura Yuusuke- Tanimura Yuuka (谷村 祐香)

Kasuga Ryuuhei- Kasuga Takara (春日 隆良)

Miyaji Kiyoshi- Miyaji Kiyomi (宮地 清美)

Sakurai Ryou- Sakurai Yomi (桜井 良未)**  
**

**Original Characters (in order of formal appearance):**

Kotobuki Seiji [Kise's older cousin, Kaijou High 3rd year and judo club captain, Kasamatsu's Childhood friend and love interest]

Fujimiya Kikumi [Seirin High]

Kuroko Kotetsu [Tetsuya's father, Editor-in-chief of a certain magazine]

Kuroko Tetsuno [Tetsuya's mother, Housewife]

(?) [Touou High]

(?) [Teikou Middle; (?) High]

* * *

First, I would like to thank everyone who had read the original _Parallel_. I know many of you are expecting the update (since it's right smack in the middle of an important arc), but I realized that there are a lot of details regarding whatever I had planned was screwed up and I decided to rewrite the whole thing from the beginning. Hence the title. Whatever that was planned for the original _Parallel_ will be included... eventually. However, since I have changed a lot of things

And now some things to note:

- This series will follow both the anime and the manga. I will follow the anime but will add in bits from the manga. I will also have quite a fair bit of original content for this series. I will skip most of the matches, unless it's an important bit or a part where I have changed it.

- This **takes place in a parallel world**. Hence, some things may be different. You'll see what is changed when the part comes. Some characters may suffer a personality change at some point of time (Akashi especially)

- Akashi and Kuroko are cousins. Their relationship isn't like what I wrote (under the pen-name The Mochi Factory) in _Blood is thicker than Water._

- Pairings will be included in the section above, but only when I have implied them or show them. Same goes for characters that have been gender-bended.

- There will be original characters in this.

- Updates will be twice a week from next week onwards, most likely on Mondays and Fridays.

- This is self-beta-ed.

- Of all the Kuroko-genderbent fics, I only followed Starian NightZz's. I did not and will not copy any bits from her unless she gives permission (which I will ask for when the time comes). PM me if you find that a certain part of this story sounds too similar to another.

Okay, let's start, then.

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and its franchise.  
_**_Cover page: pixiv picture id 30333184_**_  
_**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 01**

**I am Kuroko**

Spring.

A time of new beginnings.

For Seirin High School, now blessed with their second cohort of students, it was a very busy day.

Various booths were set up along the path that led from the main gates to the school building. Many of the seniors, armed with a large stack of flyers and plenty of determination, gathered on the path itself, hoping to catch their juniors as they innocently walk by.

"Rugby! Anyone interested in rugby?"

"Have you played shogi before? We got a shogi club right here!"

"If it's Japan; it has to be baseball! Come and join the baseball club!"

"Is anyone up to join the swimming club? It always feel great after a refreshing swim!"

In the center of the commotion stood three boys, all handing out the same flyers.

The shortest of the group held out one as he shouted.

"Basketball! The basketball club's right here! Would you like to join the basketball club?"

"Koganei; you can't be serious," The boy, Izuki Shun, behind him chided.

"How am I supposed to say it, then? Got another way?" The boy from earlier, Koganei Shinji, protested.

"New kids, join the basketball club! The basketball club needs some serious help!"

Koganei cringed.

"I think I have enough of your jokes, Izuki," He mumbled before turning to the tallest of the three boys, who has yet to utter a word. "Mitobe! Make sure they hear you!"

Mitobe Rinnosuke gave his friend a smile and a nod in acknowledgement before handing out another flyer to a passing student.

"You're not gonna say anything, are ya?" Koganei narrowed his eyes at his teammate before turning to a student that had walked past him.

Neither of these three boys had realized that a girl with light blue-hair, holding a novel in her hand as she walked, had walked past them.

"Ah!" A boy with thick spectacles turned towards the girl's direction. "You are a reader, aren't you? How about the literature club?"

He took a flyer from his stack, handing it to a brown-haired boy behind her.

"Uh, well; this is actually a manga..."

"Manga are proper books, as well! Surely you read novels too, right?"

Unnoticed by the rest of the crowd, the girl continued walking, eyes fixated on her book. She walked past the billboard that showed the location of the booths for the various clubs, something caught her attention. Specifically, it was one particular club that had caught her attention.

"Basketball! Come join the basketball club!"

"Join us and you would be cute as well!"

"Is this the basketball club?"

Koganei turned towards the person who approached him, only to remain frozen in place as he looked up at him.

Meanwhile, at the booth of the basketball club...

"Just a few more would be nice," A girl mused as she stacked up the forms into a neat pile.

"We couldn't even get ten," The boy next to her added after swallowing a mouthful of tea.

"We're just getting started," The girl, Aids Riko, beamed. "We're a new school, after all. If we win the Inter-High and the Winter Cup... We'll become a big deal from next year on."

"Are you casually putting pressure on your captain?"

"Hyuuga-kun, so you always have been that delicate?"

The boy, Hyuuga Junpei, gave a loud sigh, exasperated.

"I'll do my best, okay? I'll do my best."

"I wonder how the recruitment is coming along?" Riko peered towards the large crowd. "If only they could just bring in some promising ones—"

Riko was interrupted as she noticed someone in front of her.

Koganei was leaking a river of tears from his eyes. He looked as if he had just seen something frightening.

"They're here," He sobbed. "The new students..."

"Eh?" She asked, not knowing what he had meant.

"Is this the basketball club?"

Riko looked up, only to see a tall boy holding Koganei by his uniform. He had dark red hair and eyes, wearing a fierce scowl on his face. His gaze bore the same intensity as that of a wild tiger.

Both Riko and Hyuuga were speechless.

A few seconds later, Riko nodded to answer his question.

"I want to join," He spoke as he pulled the foldable chair in front of him out and sat down, dumping Koganei on the table. "The basketball club."

"Ah? Oh! Welcome! Just a moment," Riko handed the student a cup of tea that was passed to her by Hyuuga. "I'm sure you know, but out school was just formed last year. We only have second-year students in the club right now; I'm sure someone of your build would be—"

"I don't care about that. I'm just going to leave my name and I'll be off."

Hyuuga glared at the boy with a grimace, not pleased at the junior's attitude. When he becomes an official member of the club, the first thing he's going to do is teach this punk to have some respect for his seniors.

"Huh?" Riko blinked as she watched the boy fill in the form. "You don't have a reason for joining?"

The red-head gulped down the tea before replying.

"Not really," He crushed the paper cup in his hand before standing up. "Basketball in Japan is always the same, no matter where you look."

He turned to leave, tossing the crushed cup over his shoulder. It landed right in the garbage can. This Riko watched with eyes of amazement.

He gave one last scoff before walking off.

"He's terrifying!" Koganei gasped. "Is he really a first-year student?"

"He's one in a million; I'd say," Izuki's voice came from out of nowhere.

"You!" Koganei turned towards his teammate with the scowl. "Where have you been hiding until now?"

"Kagami Taiga," Hyuuga read. "He went to middle school in America; must have learnt from the source."

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure he'll be extraordinary."

"Yo," Koganei piped, interrupting the two. "This. You forgot about it; a club request form."

"Ah, sorry," Riko took the sheet of paper from Koganei. "Let's see… Kuroko Tetsuya. I was here the whole time, but I don't remember him at all. Hmm?"

She placed it closer to her face, which caught Hyuuga's attention.

"What is it?"

"H-He's from the Teikou basketball club!"

"Teikou? You mean _that_ Teikou?"

"Yeah! And if he's a first-year student, he must be from the Generation of Miracles!"

"The Generation of Miracles? You mean that famous group? But didn't they play in the mixed division? We're a boys' basketball club!"

"It doesn't matter! Argh! Why can't I remember the face of that golden egg?!" Riko grumbled, stamping her feet on the ground. "Plus that guy who just came back from America earlier… This group of first years could give us more than what we bargained for!"

**XXX**

"All right, looks like all the first years are here!"

It was now after school. All the members of the basketball club, both the second and first years, have gathered in the gymnasium.

The seven first-years stood in two rows. One of them tapped the person next to him with his elbow.

"Hey," He whispered behind one hand, gesturing towards Riko. "Isn't the manager cute?"

"She's a second-year, right?"

"If only she were a little sexier…"

From behind the two, Hyuuga's fists came flying. His blows connected with the back of their skulls, causing them to cringe in pain.

"You've got it wrong, you morons."

"Eh?"

The two clutched their heads, looking up at the girl in question who was now standing in front of them.

"I'm the coach for the boys' basketball club, Aida Riko. Pleased to meet you!"

"Eh?!" All the new students exclaimed in unison.

"It's not him?" The person who had made the comment earlier, Furihata Kouki, pointed towards an elderly man who was seated by the wall.

"This is our club advisor, Takeda-sensei."

The man gave a weak smile when he heard his name being mentioned.

"You have got to be kidding," The other, Kawahara Kouichi, stared in disbelief.

"Is there even such a thing?" Furihata mumbled to no one in particular.

"And now that you are acquainted with Takeda-sensei, there's something I need you guys to do," Riko had her back turned towards them for a moment before turning back to them with a serious expression. "Off with your shirts!"

"Huh? What?!" All the boys stared at her, bewildered at the command. "Why?!"

It took a while, but eventually, all the boys where standing in a row… with their shirts off, of course.

Riko walked down the row, hands behind her back. She glanced towards the second in the row for a moment before she spoke.

"You… Your ability to move instantaneously is a little weak. I would assume you do fifty side jumps in twenty seconds, don't you? You'll have to do better than that if you serious want to be in the basketball team."

"O-Okay," The boy, Fukuda Hiroshi, muttered in slight awe.

"You! Your body's too stiff!" She pointed to another boy. "Do some stretches after your bath."

"S-She's right? How did she know?" Fukuda wondered aloud.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kawahara added to the comment.

"How did she know that by just looking at our bodies?"

"That's because her dad's a sports trainer," Hyuuga explained, watching Riko do her work with a small smile. "Things like collecting data and creating a training regimen… It's a skill she picked up from observing her father at work on a daily basis since young. When she looks at your body, she is able to see all your physical abilities in numbers. Well, I won't expect anything less from a coach."

"What? Kagami asked, the fierce scowl still plastered on his face.

Riko stared at Kagami, speechless at the numbers and data that she was seeing. The body of a first-year high school boy do not possess values of his kind…!

She couldn't even see his potential… What could this mean?

This is the first time she is seeing someone like him with such natural talent!

"Coach! What are you doing, staring like that?" Hyuuga asked, interrupting the girl of her thoughts.

"Sorry! Umm…"

"You looked at all of them already. Kagami is the last one."

"Really? Huh?" She looked up from her clipboard. "Is Kuroko-kun here?"

"Oh, that guy from Teikou…"

Riko rubbed the back of her head, wondering why she wasn't able to pick him out just by looking at him. After all, if he was from Teikou, he should be strong… right?

"Looks like he's not here today. It's okay! Let's get practice started!"

"Um, excuse me," Someone in front of her spoke up. "I am Kuroko."

Riko, shocked by the appearance of this blue-haired girl, screamed.

"W-What? How long have you been there?" Hyuuga asked, surprised by her sudden appearance.

"I've been here the whole time. I didn't take off my shirt, though. It would have been rather embarrassing."

Riko was surprised that she had failed to notice her, even though the girl was standing right in front of her.

"Wait, you said you were Kuroko?"

"Yes."

"Y-You're practically invisible!"

"I have been told that many a time before."

Koganei and Hyuuga approached the girls, the former was first to speak.

"So does that mean that she's part of the Generation of Miracles? She couldn't have been a regular on the team, right?"

"Of course not. Right, Kuroko?"

"Well, I have participated in matches."

"I know, right?" Hyuuga smiled before frowning; thinking that he had heard her wrongly. "Eh?"

"WHAT?!" The two exclaimed loudly, wearing the most epic faces the teal-haired girl had ever seen in her life.

Hyuuga's and Koganei's outburst started a bit of a commotion amongst the rest of the first years.

Why was someone from the prestigious Teikou Middle here?

Meanwhile, Kagami gave a confused glance at the whole conversation. He had never heard about this 'Generation of Miracles' before; it had caught his interest.

"But wait a moment. We're a boys' basketball team!" Hyuuga argued.

"We can always play in the mixed division from this year on!" Koganei suggested. "But her first name… Tetsuya is a boy's name, right?"

"Come here with me, Kuroko-chan," Riko dragged her away from the group towards the locker room. "You boys start with practice first! Hyuuga-kun, lead them!"

"Got it!"

Kagami watched the retreating back of the teal-haired girl, a brow furrowed. He turned towards Izuki, who was standing near him.

"Hey, there's something I want to ask. It's about that Generation of Miracles group from Teikou Middle…"

**XXX**

After practice on her way home, Riko was still puzzled.

She had expected more from that girl from Teikou, Kuroko Tetsuya… but her numbers… for someone who played in a team that won the nationals three years in a row, her numbers were just too low to even be true. In fact, they were even lower than an average female player.

And that wasn't just it. She was already at the limit of her growth. It shouldn't be surprising, since girls complete puberty earlier than boys do, but… it was still unbelievable.

Just who on earth is she?

**XXX**

Kagami dribbled the ball with one hand as his eyes were fixated on the hoop. He threw it, and it passed through the net with a satisfying swish.

Once the ball hit the ground, it was already back into his hands.

Running back to where he had threw it from earlier, he jumped, preparing to shoot again.

However, he spotted something, or rather, someone at the corner of his eye as he did so. He flinched for a moment, missing the timing for the shot. He still threw it, but it bounced off the metal hoop and landed into the hands of that very person.

Kuroko Tetsuya showed no emotions on her face as she held the ball, not moving from where she was standing.

"When did you get here?" Kagami asked, wondering why he hadn't spotted her earlier.

"Good day," She greeted, completely ignoring his question.

Kagami took a step forward, looking straight at her. He had a puzzled expression on his face, as if he was trying to recall something.

"Is anything the matter?"

"Now that I notice, you look familiar. Have we met before? Outside the basketball club?"

"Perhaps. Most people don't usually remember me if they only met me once or twice."

"Ah. So, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I should be the one asking. What are you doing here on your own?" She tossed the ball back to him.

The boy caught it with practiced ease.

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything much. And don't answer my question with a question."

"Is that so?"

There was a long pause between the two of them before the boy spoke again.

"I was in America until my second year of middle school, you see. Ever since I came back to Japan, I have been utterly appalled by the level of the standard here. If you must know, I'm not playing basketball just for fun. I want a serious game that can really get me going."

The girl remained silent, urging him to continue.

"I heard about all about it: this group from our year called the Generation of Miracles who are supposedly strong. You were on that team, weren't you?"

At this her eyebrows furrowed slightly, but not enough for anyone to notice.

"Let me tell you, I have a pretty good sense of how good other people are," Kagami spun the ball on one finger. "People who can succeed smell different from the rest."

"But there's something odd about you," He threw the ball back to her. "The weak should smell weak, but I don't smell anything from you at all. Not to mention that your strength holds no scent."

He made a gesture with one finger, challenging her to come at him.

"Let me see it for myself. Show me how good your group, the Generation of Miracles really is."

"How fortunate," Tetsuya replied, her voice even. "I've also been hoping to go up against you."

She placed the ball on the ground, freeing her hands so that she could remove her dark blue sweater. She tossed it over one shoulder and was now holding the ball by her hip.

"One-on-one."

Kagami gave a feral grin.

"So you wanna go at it, huh?"

* * *

I'm sorry if you were expecting a bit more, but I'm going to do about two to three thousand each chapter. Because I find it personally difficult to read and write something that is long. So I usually keep it short and sweet. (and that's why I'm updating twice instead of once a week)

I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter! We'll have the next one on... Monday!

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next Chapter: **

**Light and Shadow**_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

I think I should just give up on the upload schedule and just post two chapters a week when I feel like it. I'd love to post more, but I always have ten chapters worth of content written in advance in case I have exams or anything. I spend an average of three to five hours on a chapter depending on how much original content I add, but I'll try to speed up those that don't require me to think so hard.

And one thing I have noticed: For most stories, the first chapter is usually the one which gets the most reviews. However, Parallel FTB has defied that little stereotype in my head. But for those who did review, I would give you a big hug if I could as my thanks. However, since school has started (and assignments are starting to flood in), I'll just reply to you directly (during my lunch break. All hail free wi-fi) since I'll forget what I want to say if I had to type it out here.

Okay, enough said. Let's start.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and its franchise.**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 02**

**Light and Shadow**

Ten minutes later, Kagami gave a loud sigh. Perhaps he was expecting too much from a girl her size, but…

… She was so weak that he could die.

Not only has she failed to make a shot, he had lost count of how many times he had stolen the ball from her. Not only that, her level of dribbling and shooting… it was no better than an amateur's.

Indeed there have been many athletes throughout history who hadn't been blessed with great physical strength like he was, but by polishing up their skills, they managed to excel and make a name for themselves. But for this girl… there was nothing good he could say about her at all!

"You got to be kidding me," He growled as he looked down at her. "Have you been listening to me at all? How much do you overestimate your own darn abilities to think that you can even beat me, huh?"

He pointed a finger at her.

"I can't believe how much guts you have to challenge me so arrogantly!"

"Well, of course Kagami-kun is stronger than I am. I knew it right from the beginning."

Kagami was so tempted to grab her by the collar right now, but he held himself back.

"Are you picking a fight with me, huh? What the hell were you planning?"

"I just wanted to see how good you are with my own eyes."

"Hah?"

Kagami grumbled, placing his palm to his forehead.

Perhaps there was something wrong with him. It was likely that she was just so weak; there was no scent at all. He was stupid to think that there could have been something extraordinary about her.

"Umm…" Tetsuya gave him a questioning gaze, holding up the ball.

"Ah; I have had enough. I have no interest in people who are weak," Kagami walked off to gather his things. "Let me tell you one last thing. It would be better for you to quit basketball. It's no use covering it up with things like effort or hard-work; if you don't have the talent for it, you're just wasting your time. And I'm telling you this truthfully: You have no talent for basketball at all."

"I refuse to accept that."

"Hah?"

The girl walked over to retrieve her bag and sweater, ball still held in both hands.

"First and foremost, I like basketball. And to be honest, I do not share that opinion of yours. I don't care about being strong or weak."

"What did you say?"

"I am different from you. I am… a shadow."

**XXX**

The next day, the members of the basketball club have gathered in the gymnasium once again. It was pouring outside; which meant that practice was to be held indoors.

"Huh? A mini-game?"

"Against the seniors? This is kind of sudden…"

"Do you remember the thing from last year they told us about in the first session? Even though they were all first years, they made it to the finals of the regionals for the Inter-High."

"Seriously?"

"That isn't just normal, you know."

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Kagami scoffed. "It's always better to have stronger opponents than weaker ones. Let's go."

Riko held up her pink whistle, giving it a sharp blow as she threw the ball in the air, signaling the tip-off.

Kagami knocked the ball, sending it flying towards Kawahara, who then passed it back to him. With a jump, he slammed the ball into the hoop, scoring the first points for the game.

Everyone was surprised at the sheer destructive power of his dunk; even the seniors were caught off-guard.

Thanks to Kagami, the first-year team was able to get a good head-start.

Despite their earlier concerns, they were soon leading 11 to 8.

"I can't believe the first years are this strong," Hyuuga muttered as he panted.

"Or rather, it looks like Kagami's doing everything on his own." Koganei added.

Kagami, on the other hand, was rather pissed at the moment. The thing that happened with Tetsuya the day before was still fresh in his mind.

He glanced towards the girl, who currently had possession of the ball. She was looking around for someone to pass it to, but failed to notice Izuki coming up to her for a steal. He succeeded, and the seniors started their attack.

"It's her again!" Furihata grumbled under his breath. "Keep it together!"

Kagami was getting more and more frustrated at what he was seeing. Of all the people in the world, he just couldn't stand those who were just talk.

Despite whatever she had told him, she really can't play at all!

"So high!" Fukuda stared in amazement as Kagami prevented Mitobe from scoring.

"Kagami's unstoppable now!" Kawahara exclaimed at the feat.

"Time to put them in their place, huh."

"The switch's on, isn't it?" Izuki asked Hyuuga, who gave a devious grin in response.

The rest of the first-year team were surprised to see Kagami being blocked by not one, not two, but three people! He tried to break free, or at least be able to pass the ball to someone else.

He did manage to pass it, but there were still two people guarding him. The seniors had no intention of letting him get the ball.

Soon enough, the seniors began their counter-attack. They started to get more daring in their steals and their shots. Their hard work paid off when they managed to double the score before the final three minutes of the game.

"As expected, they're strong," Fukuda panted, worn out by the game.

"There's no way we could beat them," Furihata muttered behind him. "I think I had enough—"

Furihata's sentence was cut off when Kagami grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"Enough? What the hell are you talking about, huh?"

Before he could lash out at Furihata again, he felt something hard bump into the back of his knees, catching him off guard. He let go of the other boy as his knees involuntarily bent.

"Please calm down."

"You…" Kagami turned around, glaring at Tetsuya fiercely.

"Hey," Koganei directed the attention of the rest of the seniors towards the first-years. "Looks like they're fighting… What's up, Izuki?"

"Was she in the game?"

"Kuroko? I'm not sure…"

Riko narrowed her eyes, mentally scolding herself for forgetting despite being the referee. It was then she had realized something. For how long has that girl been in?

Thanks to the combined efforts of Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara, Kagami managed to calm down; and the game resumed.

"I'm sorry, but do you think you could pass the ball to me?" Tetsuya turned to Fukuda, who was currently in possession of the ball. She gave her hand a few flexes as she got into position.

Fukuda wasn't keen on letting her get the ball, but he had no other chance. He had no one else he could pass to, not to mention that one of the seniors, Tsuchida Satoshi, was preventing him from making any other moves. He made a silent prayer in his head as he tossed the ball towards her.

No one what exactly happened next, but the ball went flying through the air and landed in the hands of a surprised Furihata, who then proceeded to throw it into the basket.

The rest of the people on the court were stunned stiff.

"Huh?" Hyuuga blinked, trying to grasp the situation. "It went… Eh? How did that pass get through?"

Riko widened her eyes, starting to feel a sense of uneasiness. It was as if her intuition was telling her that something unbelievable was about to happen.

Soon enough, the ball was mysterious flying around the court, landing into the hands of Furihata, Fukuda or Kawahara who then proceeded to shoot.

It all happened so fast, the seniors did not even have time to react.

"They passed the ball… and made the shot before we even realized it!"

"Just what is going on here?"

Riko, who had been watching the teal-haired girl, started to think about what she had saw.

She assumed at first that she was using her lack of presence to pass the ball around; especially when she noticed that she wasn't even holding the ball for long. However, that was not all.

It was likely that she was making her presence even weaker than it already was: through the use of misdirection.

Misdirection was a cunning skill that allows its user to draw attention away from him or herself. That would mean that she wasn't using her lack of presence during the match, but was merely directing her opponent's attention to somewhere else.

"I-It can't be…" Riko stuttered to herself. "T-That regular of Teikou who excelled at passing… I thought it was only a rumour…"

"Coach?" Hyuuga and some others turned towards her, apparently overhearing what she was mumbling.

"I didn't think that he… she actually existed: The Generation of Miracles'… Phantom Sixth Man!"

Everyone's eyes widened at Riko's revelation.

"EHHH?!"

**XXX**

After practice that day, Kagami decided to stop by a burger joint, named Maji Burger, to grab some dinner before he headed home.

He was worn out after the match, but all went well and the first-years won 38 to 37, thanks to him. If only Tetsuya had made the shot, which she embarrassingly missed, he wouldn't need to put in that extra energy to dunk it in.

"Thank you very much!" The cashier bowed as he lifted up a tray piled with burgers, surprising the couple in the queue next to him.

He looked around for an empty seat and was fortunate to find one by the window. He set the tray down and placed his bag down on the floor as he set down. He glanced out of the window, unwrapping one burger and stuffed it into his mouth.

It was then he noticed a head of light blue hair in the seat opposite him.

Kuroko Tetsuya had the same expression she always wore on her face. She didn't seem to mind the presence of the red-head.

Kagami, however, was baffled at her sudden appearance.

"Good day," She greeted him, as if they had met normally on the street.

"Just where did you pop out from? What are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you going home to eat dinner or something?"

"I was sitting here first. And besides, my family eats dinner rather late; I always stop by here before going home. I love the vanilla shakes here."

"Go to some other place, then."

"I don't want to," She pouted, the straw still in her mouth.

Kagami swore she was trying to act cute or something like that to get him to let her have her way. If that was her intention, it was working.

"Don't do that," He grimaced.

"Do what?"

"Oh, never mind. Anyway, if someone sees us, they'll think that we get along really well or something like that."

"But… this is my usual hangout."

Kagami turned over to the side and sighed. Somehow, he got the feeling that there will be no way he can say no to that face of hers. At least for now.

Might as well give up trying to shoo her away, since it'll waste his time and energy anyway.

"Here," He tossed her a burger, which she caught with both hands.

She gave him a puzzled look, not knowing the meaning behind his offer.

"I don't like people who suck at basketball, but I'd say you have earned yourself one of those after today's match."

Tetsuya looked down at the burger and up at him again. She gave him a small smile.

"Thanks."

"D-Don't mention it."

"Ah, but this might ruin my appetite for dinner…"

"Apologize to your mom, then. Is your stomach that small?"

"No one eats as much as you do, Kagami-kun."

After Kagami had finished his meal and Tetsuya the burger he had given her, the two left Maji burger and went on their merry way home.

"Why are you following me?" Kagami asked, displeased that the girl was still at this tail.

"My house happens to be this way," She replied, milkshake still in hand.

"Is that so?"

"It's the truth."

"Anyway, I just want to ask… How strong are the Generation of Miracles? If I played against them now, how would I fare?"

"You will be destroyed instantly," She replied immediately without holding back, which enraged him.

"Do you have to say it so directly?"

"Each of the five prodigies have each gone on to play for their own schools. It is certain that once of these schools will stand at the top of the high-school basketball world."

"That's great, isn't it?"

She raised an eyebrow at him in question as they stopped at a road crossing.

"That's the kind of thing that lights a fire in me."

"Oh?"

"I've decided. I'll crush all of them and become the best player Japan's ever seen."

"Good luck, then' though I don't think that's possible."

Once again, her words made him agitated.

"Oi!"

"Well, if you had some hidden talent, I wouldn't know. However, from what I've seen so far, you wouldn't even be able to reach their feet."

She hopped from the road to the pavement, landing gracefully on her toes.

"You can't do it alone. I have also decided."

She paused for a brief moment before speaking again.

"I'm a shadow. But if you think about it, the stronger the light shines, the darker the shadow will be; and it will also accentuate the brightness of the light more effectively. I will be the shadow to your light; and make you the best player in Japan."

Kagami stared at her for a moment before scoffing.

"Look who's talking. Well, do whatever you want."

She gave him another small smile.

"I'll do my best."

"By the way, where do you live?"

"It's at one of the lanes past that street. Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking that it would be better if I could walk you home. In case anything happens to you. I don't think girls should be walking around alone at this hour… even if you're practically invisible. Also, now that I know that it's on the way to my place, all the more I should offer."

The girl gave him a stare; as if he had spouted a second head.

"Kagami-kun… are you perhaps interested in me?"

"No! Why would I be? Besides, we just met a few days ago!"

"I was just teasing you. There is no need to get so worked up about it. Besides, I didn't know that Kagami-kun could be such a gentleman."

"W-Well, I was just being considerate! I mean, I grew up around females so I tend to be more mindful of them… as a guy, I mean."

"I think it's a good thing. There aren't many guys who would offer like you would, so you don't have to act so embarrassed about it. I'll accept your offer, since you asked so nicely."

"O-Oh."

"But if you're just going stand there, I'll go off without you."

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

The two walked back, side by side, without saying another word to each other.

Five minutes later, they reached her house.

"Thank you for walking me back, Kagami-kun."

"It was nothing. I think I better be going."

"Go ahead, then. See you tomorrow, Kagami-kun."

"See you," With a wave of his hand, Kagami started to make his way back home.

Unbeknownst to him, Tetsuya remained standing at the gate, watching his back with a watchful gaze as it slowly disappeared into the distance.

It only when she could no longer see him was when she finally pushed the gate open.

* * *

Kagami's a gentleman. If only all guys in the world would be like this.

Well, let's see how their romance is going to progress (at the speed of a snail).

That's all for today!

I hoped you enjoyed today's chapter as well!

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next Chapter: **

**Monday at 8.40 on the School Rooftop**


	3. Chapter 3

My thanks to **A Natsume Yuujinchou Lover** (aka. my kid sis) for pointing out that mistake in the previous chapter. Gosh it was embarrassing.

Since there's another 10 more minutes till the start of class, I'll just update this. I don't understand why we have to learn marketing when the course I'm doing is arts-related. Maybe I will someday.

My thanks to those who reviewed: **Yume Li, hitomi65, Yui Kagamine, hiyomi, Infinite Skye and Erstine 13642.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket.**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 03**

**Monday at 8.40 on the School Rooftop**

"Huh? A game? You can't play yet."

Kagami stared at Hyuuga, his jaw dropping.

"Hah? What? But why, Captain? Is it because I'm not good enough?"

"Ahh, that's not it. You're just a trial member for now; not an official member yet."

"Hah?"

"If you want to be one, go find the Coach," Hyuuga pointed towards the door of his classroom behind his back. "She's inside if you're looking for her."

"Thanks!" Kagami mouthed before making his way inside, spotting the said girl with her game console in hand.

"Ahh, I knew you had potential," She sighed to herself. "Nothing beats cultivating talent."

She took a satisfied sip of her milk, only to spurt it out onto Kagami as he slammed his hands on her table.

"Coach, please give me an official club membership form!" He pleaded, sounding desperate.

"What is it with you guys today? Not you, too."

"Too?" He echoed, not understanding what she meant.

"Kuroko-chan came looking for me too, just five minutes ago for the same reason you did. Scared the life out of me too."

"She too, huh…"

"But really, just how impatient can you rascals be?"

"What was that you just called me?"

"Well, you both have potential, plus we have plenty of room on the bench, we'll be happy to have you."

"Now I can participate in a match, right?"

"Ah, just a moment."

"Huh?"

"I'll only accept your form on Monday at 8:40 on the school rooftop. Got that?"

"Hmm? Oh; okay."

Kagami tucked his hands into his pockets as he made his way back to class. On his way, he found an article pinned onto a notice board. It was about the debut of their school's basketball club, with pictures of their seniors on it.

"Looks like Kawahara was right, huh."

"Yes; they're strong, aren't they?"

Kagami gasped at the familiar sound of a certain girl's voice.

"You! Can't you just show up normally like everyone else does? Stop popping out of nowhere!"

The girl put her finger to her lips to get him to quieten down. Using her other hand, she pointed to the sign above her head, indicating that they were outside the school library.

Kagami grabbed the girl's head roughly, holding up his fist in anger.

"You… Are you trying to make fun of me, huh? You are making fun of me, aren't you?"

"That's not it."

Kagami let go of her head, and she rubbed her hair with one hand.

"That hurt," She mumbled, not pleased that her shoulder-length hair was messed up.

Kagami turned away, letting out a loud sigh.

He couldn't believe that someone as invisible as she was labeled as the phantom sixth man of the Generation of Miracles. Seeing how weak she was, how could that be even possible?

He turned back to look at the girl, who gave him a puzzled look, before continuing on with his train of thought.

He was aware that all the other members of the Generation of Miracles have all gone off to play for big-name schools that were, no doubt at all, strong. But yet she, the phantom sixth man, came to Seirin instead. She could have gone along with the rest of them, but she didn't. But why?

He closed his eyes, trying to think of an answer to his question, but couldn't come up with anything at all. With his curiosity was getting the better of him, he decided it would be best if he just asked her directly.

"Oi, Kuroko…"

He paused mid-sentence when he realized that the teal-haired girl was no longer standing in front of him.

He let out another sigh.

"Well, it doesn't matter for now. But first…"

Kagami swore, under his breath, to kill that girl the next chance he gets.

**XXX**

"You're going to do it again this year?" Aida Kagetora exclaimed in response to his daughter's announcement.

"In order for them to reach their fullest potential and be focused at all times, they have to show that much courage at the very least."

"You sure it's not a ploy to get you?"

"Well, I want them to get me again this year."

"You're so reckless. Just like your mother. Anyway," Kagetora opened the door he was leaning on. "I'm happy to see that you're so passionate, but staying up late isn't good for a young lady's skin. It's best if you get some rest."

"Just a little longer. I want to finish the second-year's training programme first. I'll sleep after that."

It was then that Riko had remembered something.

"Ah, Papa?"

"What is it?"

"Quite a while back, you told me something about the Generation of Miracles, right? That rumor about the Phantom Sixth Man…"

"Oh, that? I never did say it was a rumor."

"I always thought it was one."

"On the contrary to that, it never was. What about it, anyway? If it's about her joining your team, I know all about it already."

"Papa, you know about Kuroko Tetsuya-chan?"

"Yup."

"But how…?"

"Men have their secrets, sweetie. I'm sure that you can raise her to be a fine player. That aside, you should be sleeping soon. Don't push yourself too hard, okay? Good night."

"Good night, Papa."

Riko wanted to ask her father more, but she had the feeling that he wouldn't tell her even if she asked.

She redirected her attention to the training regimen that she was preparing, a smile on her face.

"Nothing beats cultivating talent."

**XXX**

It was a bright spring morning. The sky was blue, the clouds were fluffy and white, and the birds were singing.

Aida Riko stood by the metal railings of the school rooftop, arms folded, chuckling evilly.

"I have been waiting for you."

The five freshmen looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Have you gone stupid?" Kagami muttered under his breath.

"A duel, perhaps?" Tetsuya added, both eyebrows raised in confusion.

"I forgot all about it, but isn't Monday the day for morning assembly?! Not to mention that it starts in five minutes!" Kagami's voice echoed through the air as he yelled. He grabbed the form out of his pocket, holing it up. "Here it is. Hurry up and take it already."

"Before that, I have something to tell all of you guys."

"Huh?"

"Last year, when those idiots approached me and begged me to be the coach, I made a promise with them. I promised that I will focus solely on pushing the entire team towards the national championships. Of course, if you don't think you're ready for that, there are many other clubs in this school. Be my guest and join whichever is better suited for you."

"Hah?" Kagami mouthed. "Of course I'm—"

"I am well aware that you are strong. However, you need to have something even more important; and that is what I want to see. Even if you practice harder than everyone else combined, half-assed words like 'someday' and 'maybe' just don't cut it. I need to know that you have ambitious goals and the will to accomplish them. That is what I want from you."

Riko extended out her hand towards the student population below.

"Shout out your year, class and name from here. You will announce your goals here and now to the entire school. However, if you fail to achieve them, I will make you come back here and confess to the girl you love. Buck naked."

"Ehhhh?!"

"Hah?"

"But I am a girl… Do I have to do that, too?" Tetsuya muttered under her breath, loud enough for only Kagami to hear.

"All the second-years did it last year too, you know."

"What?" Furihata gasped. "No one told me about this."

"Well, I did hear about it when they recruited me," Fukuda added, sweat rolling down the side of his face.

"But I didn't expect that they would actually go this far…"

"Like I said before, I'm looking for something solid and reasonably ambitious. It has to be better than just 'play in my first game' or 'do my best', got it?"

"Well, this will be simple," Kagami smirked confidently. "This isn't even a test."

He took several steps forward, jumping upwards to stand on the metal bars. He looked ahead of him, took a deep breath and shouted out.

"Class 1-B, number 5, Kagami Taiga! I will beat the Generation of Miracles and become the best player in Japan!"

The students gathered below looked up, wondering what was happening. The first years were puzzled, while the second years either face-palmed or laughed.

Looks like they're at it again this year.

Hyuuga was grimacing, and was Koganei. Izuki, on the other hand, looked slightly surprised; while Mitobe seemed to be pleased with Kagami's display of bravery.

Kagami, finished with his turn, returned to the rest of the group with a proud look of satisfaction on his face.

"Who's next?" Riko asked, and the rest of the first years grimaced.

Eventually, all of them had their turn, announcing their ambitions to the crowd below. Well, all but one.

Hyuuga, though he seemed worried the entire time, was glad to see such courage and promise in the first-year students.

"Who's next?" Riko asked, just as Furihata was making his way back to the group.

"Excuse me," Tetsuya spoke from Riko's left, shocking the girl. She held up a megaphone. "I'm not good at speaking loudly, so do you mind if I use this?"

"Where did that come from? Well, it should be fine. Go give it your all!"

Just as the girl was about to speak, the doors to the rooftop burst open. A teacher burst in, anger obvious on his face.

"Hey! The basketball club, again?!"

"Shoot!" Riko muttered under her breath. "And to think we were almost done."

In the end, all six of them got scolded by the teacher as the rest of the school enjoyed their morning assembly below.

**XXX**

Later that day, Kagami was at Maji Burger's again, ordering his usual mountain of hamburgers. Just as he did the some days before, he sat down at the first seat he could find. This time, he was grumbling about what happened earlier that day.

"I just can't believe that guy had to get so bad over a little shouting. It's not like we were breaking the school rules or anything like that."

"I agree. Not to mention that I got in trouble even though I didn't even get to finish."

Kagami, who had just bit down on his hamburger, turned to see the teal-haired girl sitting in front of him. Again.

"You again?" He spluttered, wide-eyed. "Maybe I should start eating somewhere else."

"I heard that we aren't allowed on the rooftop anymore. I'm worried that I might not be able to join the basketball club."

"You worry too much. That'll never happen."

"I wonder."

"Oh, that reminds me; there was something I had wanted to ask you. Why didn't you attend some big-name school like the other five of the Generation of Miracles? Since you were good enough to be dubbed the Phantom Sixth Man, after all. There is some reason you play basketball, right?"

Tetsuya took another mouthful of her milkshake before replying.

"The basketball team of the middle school I was in had one core principle; and that is winning is everything. Instead of focusing on teamwork, all we needed to do was to push the individual talents of the Generation of Miracles in order to win. Even though no one could beat us… we weren't really a team. The five of them approved of this ideal, but I felt that we were lacking something important."

"So? Did you plan to beat the Generation of Miracles in your own way?"

"Well, that was what I was thinking…"

"You can't be serious."

"But what you and Coach said struck me. Now, the biggest reason I have to continue playing basketball is to try to make you and our team the best in Japan."

"Trying is not enough," Kagami stood up. "We will be the best in Japan."

Tetsuya couldn't help but to smile at the red-head's confidence.

**XXX**

The next morning, the whole school was thrown into a commotion.

As Kagami entered his class, he was curious to see the rest of the students pointing at something outside the window.

Peering over everyone else's heads, he smirked at what he saw.

Written in white chalk on the ground below were the exact same words he had spoken yesterday: We will become the best in Japan.

He turned towards his teammate, who was innocently reading her novel in her own seat. As he approached her, he could see the white dust stained the sleeves of her dark sweater.

"I should charge you for plagiarism," He half-joked as he took his seat in front of her.

"But I rephrased it."

"How so?"

"I used a different speech pattern."

"It still holds the same meaning, anyway! Anyway, how did you manage to do something like that without getting caught?"

"You can say I had a little help."

"Oh? Who?"

"A friend."

"You have friends?"

"Of course."

"By the way, you were supposed to state your name and class, right?"

"… I had forgotten to."

"Hah?!"

And so, due to Tetsuya's forgetfulness, this incident became known as one of the Seven Mysteries of Seirin High.

Well, at least she managed to join the basketball club, so all was well.

* * *

Kagetora-san reminds me of my dad in certain aspects. (Particularly in being overprotective)

For those wondering when the Generation of Miracles are coming in, I think the title of the next chapter below is self-explanatory.

And if anyone is asking, fem!Kuroko is 163 cm tall and weighs about 51 to 52 kilograms.

That's all we have today! See ya next time!

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next Chapter: **

**Enter! Kise Ryouko!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

My kid sis was complaining (after seeing my outline for this entire story) that this story is going too slow. Is it, really?

Once again, my thanks to those who reviewed: ******Infinite Skye**, hitomi65, Yui Kagamine, hiyomi, 1m-pr1n7 and Raine Amorial.

Let's get this chapter started, shall we?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and its rapidly increasing franchise.  
**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 04**

******Enter! Kise Ryouko!**

The next day, the boys were in the changing room, getting ready for practice.

Kagami had cleaning duty, so he was running late.

"Hey, wasn't this published when Kuroko was in Teikou?" Koganei held up an old issue of Monthly Basketball, a popular magazine that focuses on the sport itself. "I wonder who left this here."

"Let me see," Hyuuga took the magazine, flipping through the articles. "Each of the Generation of Miracles are featured with their own article. Kuroko… doesn't have one, huh?"

At that moment, the door of the locker room opened, revealing the said girl who had already changed into her practice attire.

"Good day."

"Ah! Kuroko."

"Say, Kuroko-chan!" Koganei grabbed the magazine from Hyuuga, holding it up. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Oh, that magazine… It was during our second year of middle school."

"Even though you're the sixth player, why didn't they interview you too?"

"They wanted to, but I think the journalist forgot about me."

"That's sad!"

"Furthermore, there were some circumstances involved that prevented me from being interviewed."

"Huh? What kind of circumstances?"

"Rather, I wasn't allowed to be interviewed."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Tetsuya cocked her head to one side, pondering for a moment.

"I wonder…."

"Y'know, let's just assume they forgot about you and leave it as that."

"That would be for the best. Besides, I am nothing like the other five. All of them… they're nothing but true geniuses."

It was then that Fukuda burst into the changing room.

"Ah! Captain!"

"What is it?"

"Coach is back! She said that we're going to have a practice game soon."

"Oh!" Everyone gasped in excitement.

"Did she say who we're playing against?" Hyuuga asked.

"No, she said that she'll tell all of us during practice. But for some reason, she was skipping…"

"She was?!" All the second-years exclaimed in unison, horror evident on their faces.

"Listen up, all of you," Hyuuga let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "You better be ready; because if she's skipping, that would mean that the opponents for our next match is going to be really tough."

**XXX**

Meanwhile, there was a small commotion at the school gate.

"Oh! So this is Seirin. As expected of a new school, it's so clean and pristine!" A blonde girl muttered to herself as she strolled in, hands tucked into the pockets of her jacket.

She was dressed in another school's uniform, her long hair tied up in a side ponytail with a pink scrunchie. Her attire was accompanied by a pair of black socks that reached mid-thigh, and on her feet were a pair of black sneakers.

"Hey, isn't that chick cute?"

"But doesn't she seem familiar to you?"

"Are you blind? It's her!"

"Her?"

"You don't know anything, do you? She's that famous model—"

"I'm sorry," The girl approached the group of boys that were currently gossiping amongst themselves. "Do you think you can direct me to where the basketball club is?"

**XXX**

Back at the gymnasium, practice was underway for the members of the Seirin Basketball Club.

Once again, the first-years were pitted against the second-years.

And like always, Kagami was overpowering everyone else.

He just managed to score against Izuki, breaking from his defense with a quick turn-about before dunking the ball into the net.

"Nice shot, Kagami!"

"Wow! That quick turn was awesome! He's amazing!"

"He did it as full speed, too! He's no ordinary human, I'd say."

"What power…! If he keep that up, he may be able to beat the Generation of Miracles."

"With that earlier, looks like he'll really be able to beat them!"

"Not everyone can move like that, you know?"

"Perhaps he's even better than them!"

Amidst the praises, Tetsuya recalled the words that she had spoken to him some time ago.

"I did say that he wouldn't be able to reach their feet, but…"

She looked up at the red-head, who was pulling up the material of his top to wipe the sweat on his chin.

"All right, everyone; gather round!"

"Yes madam!"

"I'm sure you have heard by now, we're going to have a practice match. It's on Saturday against Kaijou High, so you lot better work hard!"

"S-Saturday?" Koganei yelled. "That's the day after tomorrow!"

"That aside," Hyuuga added with a horrified expression on his face. "We are playing against Kaijou High School?!"

"That's right."

"Coach, you can't be serious."

"But I am. Don't worry; I'm sure they won't disappoint us. We'll put plenty of first-years on the court"

"Disappoint… You do realize that they are way stronger than us, right?"

"Are they really that good?" Kawahara asked from behind everyone else.

"Oh they are strong, all right. They're a national level team; and they compete in the Inter-High every year."

"Not to mention that Kaijou was able to get their sneaky little paws on one of the Generation of Miracles this year: Kise Ryouko!"

"Ehh?"

"You mean… the Generation of Miracles…!"

Tetsuya did not even flinch at the mention of the name. Compared to the rest of the first years, she felt slightly relieved; but that didn't mean that she didn't feel worried.

She glanced towards Kagami, noticing a sneer creep onto his face.

Judging by that look in his eyes, she guessed that he was overjoyed at the prospect of being able to take on the one of the Generation of Miracles so soon.

"Oh, and I heard that Kise works as a model, too…" Hyuuga added in a rather random manner.

"Seriously? That's amazing!"

"Having good looks and being good in basketball?" Koganei huffed. "That's kinda harsh."

"Idiot," Riko sighed, wondering the need for the boy to be jealous.

She turned her head towards the front of the gymnasium where the stage, wondering why there were sounds of chattering and gossiping that had suddenly appeared from almost nowhere.

She was surprised to see that a large crowd of boys, probably consisting of more than half of the male student population, had gathered in the gymnasium. Some of them were carrying autograph boards, making a long queue towards one corner of the sage, where a blonde girl was sitting.

"Huh? What's happening? Why are there so many people here?"

"I didn't expect that something like this would happen," The blonde girl spoke, as if it were a reply to Riko's question.

"That's…

"K-Kise Ryouko!"

"In the flesh!"

The blonde girl looked up when she heard her name being mentioned. Her gaze was fixed on her ex-teammate, who gave a bow in greeting.

"It has been a while."

"It has! Great to see you again!"

Everyone looked towards the teal-haired girl, and turned towards the blonde; as if they were expecting something great to happen.

"I'm really sorry about this. Umm…" Kise gave the crowd an awkward glance. "Do you think you could wait for five minutes?"

A short while later, after the crowd was finally cleared, Kise leapt down from the stage, her hands tucked into the pockets of her school jacket.

"W-What are you doing here?" Hyuuga asked the question that had been on everyone's minds.

Kise gave a small giggle as she walked towards them.

"Well, when I heard from my Coach that our next practice match was going to be with Seirin, I recalled hearing something about Tetsucchi attending there and decided to visit. Just to give my greetings, of course. We got along the best in Middle School, after all."

"… Our relationship wasn't any different from anyone else's."

"So mean!" Kise sobbed dramatically at the shorter girl's indirect rejection.

"Kise Ryouko," Furihata narrated from the article. "Even though she started basketball only in her second year of Middle School, her exceptional physical ability and sense for the sport got her on a spot as a regular in a heartbeat. Despite having less experience than the other four, she's an all-rounder who is rapidly improving."

"Since your second year?" Hyuuga asked, incredulously.

"Well, that article exaggerated quite a bit," Kise rubbed the back of her head. "I'm happy that I'm recognized as one of the Generation of Miracles… but in reality, I'm the worst of the bunch. That's why me and Tetsucchi always got bullied by the rest."

"… Such a thing never happened to me."

"So it was only me?" Kise sobbed again, only for her eyes to widen a second later.

She stuck her hand out, preventing a flying ball from hitting her face.

"Hey, that hurt," She protested coolly. "What was that for?"

"Kagami!"

"Kagami-kun!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little reunion, but don't tell me you came all the way here just to say hi. Well, since you bothered to pay us a visit, you weren't thinking you could leave with only a greeting, were you? How about a little round?"

Kise balanced the ball on her hip, sighing.

"What if that ball really hit me? You just do not hit a girl's face, you hear me? Boys, really…" Kise paused to think. "But since you showed me something interesting earlier… Sure, I don't see why not. Take it as my thanks."

She tossed the ball back to him, proceeding to remove her jacket and loosen her tie.

"Wait! You're gonna play in a skirt?" Koganei asked curiously, which resulted him in getting smacked in the head by Hyuuga.

"Relax; I'm wearing shorts underneath."

"Seriously, these boys…"

"This may turn out to be bad," Tetsuya spoke, looking straight at Riko.

Though her usual expression hadn't changed a single bit, but Riko could tell by the look in her eyes that she was concerned about something.

The entire team now watched in anticipation as Kagami passed the ball to Kise, who bounced it slowly with her left hand.

Kagami frowned as he waited for her move. His eyes were fixed on her, trying to predict what she was going to do next.

Kise made a quick fake with her eyes, and he fell for it.

She made a quick break, dribbling the ball towards the basket. Kagami was quick to catch up. Just as Kagami managed to match her speed, she made a quick turn-about, catching everyone but Tetsuya off-guard.

Riko gasped, recalling what Tetsuya had told her earlier: Kise learn a move the moment she sees it and is able to make it her own.

Kise jumped as she held the ball with two hands, preparing to dunk it in.

"Didn't Kagami-kun just do that earlier?" Izuki wondered aloud.

But Riko could tell that what Kise was doing was not just a mere imitation. It was a level higher than just copying a move.

Kagami, frustrated that Kise was copying him, leapt upwards; an attempt to knock the ball out of her hand. However, he only managed to graze the ball with his fingertips before Kise slammed it in.

He was baffled.

How could a girl be stronger and faster than him? Even though he should have had the upper hand in terms of physique…

The red-head landed hard on his bum; he didn't even make an effort to break his fall. Kise, in contrast to him, landed gracefully on both feet as if she were a gymnast.

She gave him a quick wink and a smile before taunting him.

"Just because I have a pretty face doesn't mean I can't beat you in basketball, you know?"

"Keh!" Kagami grit his teeth in frustration, unable to say anything else.

Most of the Seirin team were still wide-eyed with shock. Not because Kagami lost to a girl, but at the realization of how powerful the Generation of Miracles actually were.

And to think that Kise was the worst of the bunch, too!

"So this is the Generation of Miracles…" Kawahara spoke in awe. "Kuroko, your friend's way too amazing."

"I don't recognize that person."

"Huh?"

"To be honest, I may have underestimated her as well. Even though I have only left them for a few months, the Generation of Miracles have improved far greater than I had expected them to."

Kise rubbed the back of her head again.

"I don't know what to say about this, though…"

"Huh?" Kagami's eyebrow furrowed, not understanding what she had meant.

"After encountering something so disappointing, there's no way I can go back like this," She turned on her heel, walking back to the others again. "I think it would be better if you would just give Tetsucchi to us."

Everyone tensed up at the request.

Riko looked ready to refuse, but it would better for Tetsuya to decide on her own.

"Come join me at Kaijou," Kise held Tetsuya's hands. "Let's play basketball together again! I have great respect for you, Tetsucchi. You are only wasting your talent by staying here. What do you say?"

At this moment, all eyes were on Tetsuya.

The girl's expression did not change at the proposal, nor did she seem to be affected by it.

"I am truly honoured to hear you say that," She spoke as she pulled her hands away from Kise's grip. "I must respectfully decline your offer."

Behind her, someone heaved a sigh of relief; probably Hyuuga.

"But… that doesn't make any sense at all. This isn't like you at all. Winning was everything, wasn't it? Why didn't you go somewhere that is better than here?"

"My way of thinking had changed since then. More importantly, I made a promise with Kagami-kun. I promised that I will help him beat you, the Generation of Miracles."

"It seriously isn't like you to joke around like that. Did it have something to do with what happened between you and A—"

Kise was interrupted by Kagami's chuckle from behind her.

She was surprised to see that he was looking… inspired, rather than upset that he had lost to her.

"Seriously, what are you doing? You stole my line, Kuroko."

"It is still a fact that my sense of humour is terrible. I happen to be rather serious."

Kise couldn't help but snort at her friend's comment.

Looks like that was one part of her that hasn't changed a bit.

"I think I should be going now," Kise skipped over to the stage, retrieving her jacket and tie.

"You're leaving already?" Tsuchida asked, eyebrow raised.

"I have to work today. Well then… See you on Saturday, Tetsucchi."

"See you soon."

"You better be prepared," Kagami gave Kise a wide grin. "We'll beat you!"

Kise smirked in return.

"I'm looking forward to it."

**XXX**

"What's with Tetsucchi? She's not herself. It's only been half a year, yet she changed so much…" Kise grumbled under her breath as she made her way out of the school, ignoring the glances from the boys as she tread the path towards the gate.

"And what's with that guy, Kagami? What's this about a promise between him and Tetsucchi? I wonder what Akashicchi will have to say about her and that guy. He was the one against her going to Seirin the most, if I recall… but I just hope he won't try anything funny."

She sighed.

"Really, I don't understand what Tetsucchi is thinking anymore… Ahh, but this is the first time she ever said anything like that to me. But now that I think of it, that guy Kagami reminds me of him—"

"You know, if you're going to keep walking around with that scowl on your pretty face, you're going to ruin your image as a model. Something on your mind that you can't shake off?"

Kise's head snapped upwards immediately to look up at the person who had spoken to her. Her eyes widened.

"Yo." The person grinned at her. "It has been a while. How have you been doing?"

"You… What are you doing here?"

* * *

I just realized that I always mix up my use of American and British English, since I always use a mix of both in daily life. Where I live, we learn British spelling of words in school but the books we read are often published with the American spelling. If it irks anyone, let me know so that I'll stick to just one.

Kise's stats: Her height is 171 cm and her weight is about 56 kilograms (I calculated from a BMI of 19 and rounded it up).

Also, I will be deleting the original Parallel soon... Because I'm rewriting everything (if I hadn't mentioned it earlier). Hopefully by the end of next week. I'll still keep the side story, though.

That's all I have today. Today (28th October) happens hold a rather depressing memory for me, so I don't really have anything else to add.

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next Chapter:**

**You won't have time to wait**


	5. Chapter 5

My thanks to **Yui Kagamine**-san for pointing my error in last chapter's author's note.

There are somethings to explain and clarify before this chapter starts, so bear with me for a while.

First, in reply to **Kagari Higuchi**'s review as to why I'm re-doing Parallel. While doing the plotting for the entire thing, I realized that I had screwed up a lot of things and included too many back-stories which WILL leave the readers (and even the author herself) confused. Hence, since I'm going to do things right from the start, it saves me (and you) a lot of trouble. Not to mention that the ending was a little cliche (in my opinion). If you wanted to know how it was supposed to end, drop me a PM.

Second, there will be a fair number of OCs in this story. I mean, the only people you meet in your life isn't just the members of your club, right? This chapter introduces three OCs, of which only one is formally introduced. And don't refer to the OC list on my blog: that one will have to be edited.

Third, just **some information about Kise**. In my head-canon, (s)he is living with his/her aunt and two cousins while studying at Kaijou (which is in the Kanagawa Prefecture). His/Her aunt, Kotobuki Kanako, also happens to own the modelling agency that (s)he works for. One of her cousins, Kotobuki Sanae, is also her manager (she appeared in my one-shot 'Love so Sweet'). Her other cousin, who will be mentioned in the first part of this chapter, is a third-year student in Kaijou. Also, our little Ryouko-chan happens to be a master at martial arts (a girl needs to know how to defend herself, right?)

And finally, about original content. I'm doing my best to be as original as possible (seeing how many similar stories there are in this fandom here) but I have realized that I didn't have much original parts for this arc. This will probably be the only match I will cover in full. I decided (after writing this) to not write out the other matches unless I changed it. Please bear with me for a while.

My thanks to **hitomi65, hiyomi, Yui Kagamine, Erstine 13624, Kagari Higuchi and Infinite Skye** who reviewed the last chapter!

And let's get started.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and its franchise.**

* * *

**About my line breaks...**

For this chapter, I need to introduce a new kind of 'line break' for matches.

My usual 'line break', if you have noticed, is '**XXX**', which I use to show a timerskip or a change in scene.

For this arc and the rest with matches. '**-x-**' will be used to show a different perspective (like a camera change?) of the same scene at the same time.

I'm sorry if this confuses you.

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 05**

**********You won't have time to wait**

"Haaaa!"

"Hiyaaah!"

"Kaaaah!"

All the boys of Kaijou High's judo club shifted uncomfortably, watching as their club-mates suffer quick defeats one after another under the hands of one blonde girl.

"Alright! Who's next?"

"Hiii!" The remaining members stiffened, fearing for their lives.

"What are you lot so afraid of?" Their captain scolded, knocking them on the head with his fists. "If you can't even face her like a man, how can you expect to start participating in Inter-School competitions, huh?"

"B-But Kotobuki-senpai…"

"No excuses," Kotobuki Seiji frowned, crossing his arms. "Even if she's a freshman and not a member of our club, she's stronger than most of you. And if you give me the excuse that you won't face her because she's a girl, I'll kick you out of the club. Her being a model is not accepted, either."

"Even so, she's your cousin, isn't she?"

"Her being related to me has nothing to do with this, does it?"

"Umm, Seiji-nii, I need to be at the basketball club soon…"

"Oh, right. I'll escort you there," He turned towards the rest of the boys. "Continue with your usual practice!"

"Yes sir!"

"Let's get going, Ryou. Do you need to change?"

"I'll change at the basketball club. I'll save time that way."

"I understand. Let's hurry before Yukino gets angry at you again. Even though she agreed when I asked her to let you help us, she might not be pleased with the arrangement."

"Is it because of this weekend's practice match?"

"Perhaps so, but I heard from Yoshitaka that it wasn't an important match."

"That's nonsense. I can't take things easy… especially not when Tetsucchi is in the team I'm playing against."

"Your ex-teammate and friend back from Teikou?"

"Yup!"

"You must be looking forward to it. But still, during that session earlier with the judo club…"

"Was I too rough? I'm sorry!"

"No, you don't have to apologize… but it does seem that you're being more rough than you usually are. Is there something that is bothering you?"

"Well," Kise sighed, looking up towards the light blue sky. "You can say that there is a lot on my mind right now…"

**XXX**

It was now Saturday morning.

The members of the Seirin High Basketball Club are now making their way into Kaijou High.

"This place is huge," Hyuuga murmured, surveying the school grounds with awe. "You can really tell when a school is devoted to its athletics, huh. Look at the difference."

Kagami grunted, ignoring Hyuuga's comment as he tried his best to keep his eyes open.

"Kagami-kun, you look awful," Tetsuya muttered as she walked next to the tiger. "Your eyes are bloodshot; not to mention that the look in them is worse than usual."

"Shut up," He grumbled. "I guess I got a little too excited; and because of that I couldn't sleep."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if trying to release some of the lethargy he was feeling.

"What are you, a kid going on his first field trip?"

"What did you call me?"

"Hey!" A high-pitched chirp came from ahead of them, followed by the sound of running footsteps.

"Kise!"

Kagami yelled as the blonde came running towards them in her practice attire.

"This place is big, so I thought it would be better if I came to pick you up."

"Thank you so much!" Riko gave a bow, both as an expression of gratitude and as a greeting.

"Kise," Kagami growled again, but was completely ignored. "Hey!"

"Tetsucchi…" She whined, grabbing her self-proclaimed best friend into a hug. "Ever since you turned me down, I've been crying myself to sleep every night! My pillow case's practically soaked with tears."

"That is your problem, not mine."

"So mean!"

"What her problem?" Hyuuga muttered under his breath.

"It's a girl thing," Riko explained casually.

"Hurry up and show us the way already!"

"Could you let me go, Ryouko-san? I'm suffocating."

"You're the only one who has ever turned me down like that, Tetsucchi! Weren't we supposed to be the best of friends? How could you do something like that to me?"

"Stop ignoring me, oi!" Kagami protested.

"I would appreciate it if you could stop being so sarcastic," Tetsuya replied to the blonde's outburst, finally freeing herself from the bone-crushing hug.

Kise's eyes narrowed slightly.

"But I'm interested to know more about that guy who is making my dear Tetsucchi spout this kind of nonsense." She glanced towards Kagami before walking back to the front of the group. "Honestly, I don't really care about called one of the Generation of Miracles, but as someone who plays basketball seriously, it would be rude of me to ignore such an obvious challenge."

Kagami caught her glance, and raised an eyebrow in response to it.

"I'm not all that mature to just let it slide; a woman has her pride, too. I'm sorry to say this now, but I'm going to crush you with everything I have."

Kagami grinned at the declaration.

"That'll be interesting."

**XXX**

"This is it," Kise gestured as they stepped into the large gymnasium. "Welcome to Kaijou High's basketball club!"

Everyone was surprised to see that practice was still going on, even though a practice match was scheduled.

"We're playing… on a half-court? And the other side is being used for practice?" Riko frowned, folding her arms.

"Ah; you're here. Welcome," A plump man with a clipboard greeted them. "I'm the coach here. The name's Takeuchi. Which one of you here is the coach?"

"Ah, that would be me," Riko chirped in response.

There was a long pause before the chubby man reacted.

"Hah? You? You mean you're not the manager?"

Riko narrowed her eyes for a moment before forcing a smile to her face, She took a few steps forward to greet him.

"I'm the coach, Aida Riko. Thank you for having us today!"

"Uhh, yeah."

"By the way… What is this about?"

"It's just as you see it. We only made simple arrangements for the game today."

"A-Arrangements?"

From behind Riko, the rest of the team were glaring with annoyance, with the exception of their sole female player, who remained stone-faced. Despite that, it was obvious that she wasn't pleased, either.

"There won't be much to learnt from this game that would make it worth for those guys to sit out and watch, anyway."

"I see…"

"So as the match is going on, we're having out other players to continue with their usual practice. We won't waste time this way. Despite the arrangements, you're still going to be playing against our regulars. You better not let us triple your score!"

Riko glared at the man's retreating back, her fist clenched. She looked as if she was ready to burst with anger.

And it wasn't just Riko.

The whole team seemed to be flaming mad, especially Kagami.

"They're underestimating us," Kagami growled from Tetsuya's right. "So they're taking our match as a mere side-show to their regular training."

Tetsuya wasn't pleased at the way that they were being treated, but couldn't help but to smile when she saw how determined her partner was.

"Kise! Why are you in your uniform?" Takeuchi shouted at the girl, who was busy tying her long hair into a bun. "You aren't going to appear in this match.

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"We're all aware that we have star players from various Middle Schools, but you're on a different level altogether."

"Coach, would you please don't say thing like that?"

"If I let you onto the court, it wouldn't be a game anymore," The tubby man dismissed her with a wave of the hand.

Kise looked back towards the Seirin team with an anxious, apologetic look.

"Listen to him talk," Hyuuga scoffed.

"It's been a while since I've gotten pissed," The usually-calm Izuki added from behind him.

"I'm sorry about that! Really!" Kise looked guilty, despite it not being her fault. "I'll be on the bench; but if you give the rest of the team a nice beating, he's definitely sure to let me play."

"Oh?" Kagami raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, if you can't so such a thing, don't even go around saying that you will beat the Generation of Miracles so casually."

"Hey," Takeuchi's voice came from a distance, directed to her. "Show those Seirin guys to the locker room."

"There is no need to," Tetsuya spoke as the rest of her team went to get ready. "Please get warmed up. You won't have time to wait."

**XXX**

"The practice game between Seirin High and Kaijou High is about to begin!"

"Looks like we made it in time," A girl with dark hair muttered as she surveyed the courts from the second story of the gymnasium. "They're just about to start."

"But I didn't expect that they would put her in a match already," The boy next to her gave a small smile. "This will be interesting."

"It will."

"How sure are you about that?"

"Very sure," The girl hid a smirk behind her hand. "Let's see what that new light of hers can do."

**-x-**

"Uh, we're going to start soon," The referee looked around. "Can Seirin please get their fifth player onto the court?"

"Excuse me," A girl's voice came from his left, where the players from Seirin had lined up. "There are five of us already…"

Everyone was shocked at the girl's sudden presence on the court. None of them had noticed that she was there.

"Who is that chick?" One of the Kaijou players mumbled as he paused in his practice.

"She has no presence… Is she really one of their starters?"

"She's cute, don't you think?"

"But she looks… weak. Can she really play?"

"She was right in front of all of us, yet I didn't even notice her," Kobori Kouji muttered to his teammates. "What about you, Kasamatsu?"

"I didn't either," Kasamatsu Yukino, their captain, shook her head in reply.

"Well, this is ridiculous," Takeuchi had one eyebrow raised. "After all their blabbering, one would think that they would be able to have players of a higher caliber."

"I wonder about that," Kise murmured, loud enough for only her coach to hear. "They may turn out to be something more than we expected."

**-x-**

"She's still as invisible as ever!" The girl who had been watching from above tried her best to suppress her laugh. "And what's with that reaction! It's too hilarious!"

"You're laughing too much. You better make sure no one notices you."

"I know that. You don't have to remind me."

"But I wonder…"

"What?"

"Will Seirin be alright? I mean… it's rather obvious that Kaijou has the advantage. From here, I can already tell that Kaijou's players are on a higher level in terms of their physique."

"Not only that, Kaijou is a school on the national level. They have years of experience under their belt. Seirin, on the other hand, is still new. Not to mention that he isn't with them now…"

"Who do you think would win?"

"Who knows? If Seirin can show us something interesting… Let's see what she and her new partner have in store for us."

**-x-**

The blare of the whistle signaled the tip-off, and the ball managed to get into Kaijou's hands first.

"Let's take the first point!" Kasamatsu yelled out as she bounced the ball with one hand. "Let's do it without fail!"

**-x-**

"There's no way they'll let you do it that easily," The girl smirked, looking as if she had known what was about to happen. "That ball will be stolen from you just about… now."

**-x-**

"What?" Kasamatsu and the rest of the Kaijou team were surprised to find that the ball had been taken by the girl with light-blue hair, who was now dribbling it towards the basket.

"Just where did she come from?!" Kasamatsu wondered along as she and Hayakawa ran towards her, pleased when she noticed how slow the other girl was.

**-x-**

"If you think that you can stop them just like that, you'll be in for a rather unpleasant surprise."

Just as the mysterious girl had spoken, Tetsuya passed the ball behind her to Kagami, who had caught up with them.

In the blink of an eye, he dunked the ball in; and with what power, too!

Takeuchi and the rest of the Kaijou team gasped; they did not anticipate something like this to happen.

"All right!" Kagami cheered, but was shocked to find the metal hoop of the basket in his hand.

"Oh, wow! He actually destroyed the hoop!"

The rest of the Kaijou students in the gymnasium were sent into a commotion after witnessing Kagami's little deed.

"Hey, one of the bolts is rusted," Izuki pointed out. "That's dangerous, you know."

"That aside," Kasamatsu shook her head. "Something like that is still…"

"I'm sorry!" Riko bowed to a growling Takeuchi, trying her best to hold in her amusement.

Tetsuya and Kagami approached the man, the latter still holding the hoop as if it were some trophy.

"I'm sorry; we broke your hoop," The girl gave a bow in apology. "It would be impossible for us to play like this, so could you let us use the full court?"

At this moment, Takeuchi looked as if he were about to burst a nerve.

**-x-**

"Who's that number 10? He's amazing!" The boy tugged the girl's sleeve in excitement. "He practically tore the whole thing off!"

"I can't say that I'm not amazed," The girl watched with mild surprise. "I was told that he possessed a lot of power, but this is just…"

"He's amazing! He's practically awesome! Ahh, if only I could play like him…!"

"You're too loud, dumbass. I already heard you the first time."

"I'm sorry!"

"But still. That isn't normal… Is he really a first-year student like me? Even if he did learn in America, being able to do something like that is still…" She paused to look around her, noticing the rest of the Kaijou students gathering on the second floor to catch a glimpse of the match. "Well, at least this will be interesting to watch after all."

**-x-**

"We will now resume the match!"

The whole of Kaijou gave a cheer as their star player stepped onto the court.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kise spoke in a low tone; her serious expression showed that she was all ready to go.

"So you're finally in," Kagami smirked.

"But you know, you're too intense to be a model when you switch is on."

"That act of hers isn't just for show, if you must know," Tetsuya added in reply to Hyuuga's statement. "Her talent's the real thing."

Riko, from the bench, frowned at the statistics she was seeing.

For a girl, Kise's statistics were no worse than a boy her age. In fact, she was better than most, admittedly.

"Kise-chan! Go for it!" The boys started to cheer, raising their fists into the air.

"Show those other guys what you're made of!"

"Show them the power of Kaijou's Goddess!"

"You can do it!"

"Thanks guys!" Kise gave them a bright smile as she waved back, with the Seirin team wondering what the commotion was about.

"What the heck is going on?" Hyuuga muttered at the crowd. "And what's with the 'Goddess' thing…?"

"Oh, that?" Kasamatsu sighed under her breath. "It's some ridiculous they came up with. And just to let you know, this farce always happens whenever she plays. That aside…"

Kasamatsu broke into a sudden run, delivering a jump-kick to the blonde.

"Just how long are you going to keep waving to them, huh? I'll hit ya!"

"That hurt…" Kise pouted, rubbing the sore spot where her senior had kicked her. "But you already hit me, Yuki-senpai."

"Don't call me that!"

"I'm sorry!"

The shorter girl reached up to whisper into the blonde's ear.

"That aside, you do understand the situation at hand, right? Who exactly is that number 10?"

"Oh, that guy's named Kagami."

The red-head turned towards the mention of his name.

"Kagami? I never heard of him before."

"Don't bother so much about him. You know the girl who stole the ball earlier, that number 11? That's my former teammate from Teikou, Tetsucchi! Wasn't she just amazing? Wasn't she just remarkable?"

"What's with that ridiculously happy face of yours?" Kasamatsu growled, tempted to punch the other girl in the stomach. "And stop being so casual. Didn't your cousin teach you how to respect your seniors?"

Kise whined.

"Don't bring Seiji-nii into this."

"He entrusted you to me, so I have to make sure you know how to behave properly."

"Oh? Is that so?" Kise gave the older girl a sly smile.

"W-What's with that doubtful face? I-It's not like I like Sei— I mean, Kotobuki or anything like that!"

"I never said anything about that, though."

"A-Anyway," Kasamatsu cleared her throat. "That was quite a greeting they had given us earlier… it would be terribly rude not to return the favour, don't you think?"

Kise gave her captain a grin.

"But of course."

**-x-**

From above, our mysterious pair continued to watch the match as it resumed.

Kaijou just scored their first points, courtesy of Kise.

"Ryouko-chan's amazing. She copied that number 10, didn't she?" The boy mused. "I wish I brought a video camera."

"But she clearly managed to add more power to that dunk. With strength like that, it's hard to believe that she's a girl sometimes."

"She's amazing all right."

"That was what I used to think, but she's gotten even better than I remembered. If she is able to show this much growth; that would mean that the rest of the Generation of Miracles… What kind of monsters have they become?"

"There's one more thing that worries me."

"What is it?"

"The game… it's not supposed to go this fast, right?"

"You're right," The girl gasped as she spotted the timer on the scoreboard. "It hasn't even been three minutes since the start of the game, yet…"

"This isn't good. If they keep this up…"

"They'll be out of gas."

"Exactly."

* * *

For now, you do not have to know who the boy is. The mysterious girl is the one you have to take note of. (If you had read the original Parallel, good luck guessing if you want to, though.) And I suck at foreshadowing characters. It'll be easier if I can draw (which I can't).

I also updated the first chapter for the list of pairings/gender-bended characters.

And my assignments are starting to pour in. Joy to the world. I suspect all of them (for the term) will be in by the end of next week. Maybe I should stop playing otome games and pokemon on my computer until mid-semester break.

Oh, and happy belated Halloween.

See you next week!

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next Chapter:**

**Take care of the counter attack!**


	6. Chapter 6

For those who did not see the notes in the first chapter, fem!Midorima's name is Makoto, derived from the first kanji of 'Shintarou'.

I must say, though, that I dislike uploading from mobile because there's no spell-check feature (and my spelling is terrible).

My thanks to **hitomi65, Yui Kagamine** and **Infinite Skye** for reviewing the previous chapter!

**Disclaimer: The characters and world of Kuroko no Basket do not belong to me.**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 06**

**Take care of the counter attack!**

Along a quiet street in the Kanagawa Prefecture, a boy is huffing and puffing as he pedaled hard on a bicycle that is pulling a cart.

"Ah, it's a rear car." A passing boy commented as he stared in awe.

"Hey, we were supposed to trade at that signal earlier. You haven't pedaled once!"

"What profanities are you spouting, Takao? You expect a lady to do something like that while wearing a skirt?"

"You could've worn a pair of pants instead! Of all things to wear, why your uniform, huh? Not to mention it's a Saturday!"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"I wanted to see Mako-chan in a cute dress! With lace and ribbons and—"

"Keep your mouth shut and keep pedaling."

"Fine; fine. But why am I doing all the hard work when you're just sipping your red bean soup? The least you can do is share some with me! My throat's parched!"

"In your dreams."

"Why?!"

"Because Oha-Asa predicted the worse luck for Scorpios like you today. Of course, Cancers are at the top today. With my lucky item, nothing can go wrong," The girl scoffed at him before raising the can to her lips.

"That has nothing to do with this, oi! And why do we have to come all the way out here just to watch a practice match, huh? Your old teammates from Middle School better be good!"

"It's the copy-cat and the invisible girl."

"So are they strong or what? If they aren't, there is no need to come all this way, right?"

"You better hurry up; otherwise the game will be over."

"It was your fault for reading horoscopes! If you didn't we could've left a lot earlier!"

"You're noisy. Shut up."

**XXX**

"Don't stop! Keep your feet moving!" Hyuuga commanded as he dribbled the ball, contemplating his next move.

"Captain," A voice came from behind him.

Hyuuga nearly tripped with shock, almost losing control of the ball.

He turned his head around to see the teal-haired girl behind him.

"You again? Where did you pop out from, anyway? And why are you calling me?"

I want a time-out, if you don't mind. This high pace is rather harsh on my body. I can feel it taking its toll already."

"Hah? How can you be so weak?"

"Not only that, we need Kagami-kun to cool down. The harder Kagami-kun plays, so will Ryouko-san. If this continues, it'll take everything we have to keep up with those two. I'm not referring to only me, but Captain and the rest of the seniors as well. It's better to do it know; otherwise it'll get a lot worse from here on out."

Hyuuga, noting that the girl was speaking a lot more than usual, started to worry about the situation at hand. Could it be worse than he had thought it to be?"

His suspicions were confirmed when he spotted their Coach asking for a time out. Looks like she was thinking the same thing.

He flung the ball towards the side, sending it out-of-bounds.

"Seirin: Time out!"

**-x-**

"That was a wise decision," The girl muttered into her the sleeve of her sweater as she watched the Seirin team with watchful eyes. "The Coach is not half bad."

"But they already look so exhausted. How long as it been, five minutes?"

"It's not surprising. They making been switching between offense and defense non-stop; even a professional would be worn out eventually."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! JUST HOW MANY POINTS ARE YOU GONNA LET THEM TAKE, HUH? DEFENSE! ARE YOU ASLEEP OR SOMETHING?"

The two turned their heads towards Kaijou's side of the bench.

"This guy…"

"He's terrible," The girl shook her head at him. "It's too unreasonable to blame them like that. After all, that combination between her and that number 10… anyone would have trouble with it if they're facing it for the first time."

"But I think the problem they have here is with her, right?"

"She isn't known as the Phantom Sixth Man for nothing, you know. Anyone would be taken off-guard if they're playing against her. Not to mention that she's **his** cousin…"

"I don't think being relatives have anything to do with her strength."

"But they grew up playing basketball together. Even if she isn't as strong as him, she would've developed a deep sense for the sport. Not that her strength lies only on the court…"

"If it weren't for her, Ryouko-san won't be what she is today, right?"

"Exactly. But there is a problem here that worries me, though. If my calculations are correct, the effect of her misdirection should be wearing off soon."

"What do you mean?"

"Her misdirection isn't something she can use for forty whole minutes. The best I've seen so far was twenty-five minutes. Not that it works on everyone, though."

"Are you stalking her or something like that?"

"Nonsense. I am merely watching over her."

"What are you, a mother hen?"

The girl reached out to pinch the boy's shoulder.

"That hurts!"

"Have some respect for your elders, punk."

"Elder… You're only a year older than me!"

"But I'm still older than you," She turned back to watch Seirin's bench. "I just wonder how Seirin will handle this barrier. If they insist on keeping her in for the rest of the match, I have no objections… but they'll just be digging their graves."

"I'll say. Looks like they just know of her weakness."

"And their opponents know, too."

"This could be bad."

"I know, right?"

"Stop sounding like a know-it-all."

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry."

**-x-**

"Why didn't you tell us about something this important earlier?!" Riko screeched, fuming mad.

She put the younger girl in a headlock, with both Hyuuga and Izuki trying to calm her down from behind.

"I'm sorry… You didn't ask me so…"

"You mean you would not say anything you're asked to, you little…!"

"Oi, Coach, go easy on her," Hyuuga intervened, worried for the survival of their sole female player.

Riko was frustrated with herself.

It was naïve of her to think that there were no risks or chances to take when using a strategy like this one…

"Time out is over!"

"Argh! All I got to do was hit Kuroko-chan!" Riko grumbled, lamenting the time they had lost.

"Coach, let me stay on her mark… if you please."

"What's with you using formal speech?"

"I have the feeling that something's coming to me. Just a little more time and I'll definitely figure it out!"

"Hey, wait up!" Riko called the rest of the team. "In either case, switch the defense pattern from man-to-man to zone. Make sure you keep a solid defense inside' and move to stop Kise-chan quickly. Make that your first priority, got it?"

"Got it!"

"As for you," Riko turned to the girl, who was retying her shoelaces. "Slow down your pace a bit. But don't let the gap widen too much. Think you can do that?"

"I will try."

With the blare of the referee's whistle, the game continued.

**-x-**

"They're ganging up on her," The boy commented from above. "What do you call again?"

"It's a box-and-one, if I'm not mistaken. Everyone else is following up with that number 10, Kagami, with the intention to stop Ryou-chan."

"Will that work?"

"Maybe, but perhaps they're underestimating the rest of the Kaijou regulars. The team doesn't just consist of only Ryou-chan, you know."

Everyone gave a cheer as Kise passed the ball to Kasamatsu, who made it in with a three-point shot.

"Way to go, Kasamatsu!" Came the chant of the Kaijou students.

The boy whistled.

"That captain… As expected of someone who's been known to be a strong point-guard. No wonder she was mentioned in that magazine."

"It's going to be tough if Seirin focuses on Ryou-chan alone. Look, that number five…" The girl pointed to Moriyama who managed to steal the ball just as Kagami was passing it to Tetsuya and made the shot. "He may have the looks of a Casanova, but he's good."

"But if he managed to steal the ball…"

"My thoughts are the same as yours. Her effectiveness is already wearing off. It's only the first quarter and the point gap… Seirin's going to be in a big pinch if they don't do something fast…"

**-x-**

"Out of bounds! White ball!"

Kagami panted hard. This wasn't easy for him. Every time he tried to make a shot, Kise would be there to stop him.

"Why don't you just acknowledge the truth?"

"Hah?"

"It's too early for someone like to you to be challenging the Generation of Miracles."

"What did you say?"

"Even if the gap between the score may get bigger, it's likely that it's not going to get smaller. Strategies and formations aside, basketball is about you physique; it's a sport of size. Even though we have two girls on our team, the difference is simply too great. You may be the only one who may stand a chance against us, but I can already gage your current level."

Kagami growled at her.

"I will acknowledge that you have potential, but you're still way below me. Whatever you have up your sleeve, I can return it twice as good with just a mere look. Struggle or you want, but you'll never be able to beat me. The real world isn't as easy as it seems to be."

Kagami gave a chuckle, before erupting into a loud laugh.

Everyone stared at the red-head, wondering if he had gone mad.

"My bad, my bad… I'm rather happy now."

"Happy…?"

"It's been ages since anyone said anything of that sort to me. Back there, I used to hear it all the time."

" 'Back there'…?"

"In America."

"Oh? You lived in America? That's awesome!"

"Honestly, I thought I had jumped the gun by coming back here to play; but hearing you say that is encouraging. As expected, life is all about challenges! There's no point in going on if there's no one strong to play against. It's a lot better if I can't win!"

Kise blinked at him.

"We're just getting started. Don't you think it's a little too early to be declaring your victory? And also, I know your weakness know, thanks to you."

"… Weakness?"

"It wasn't easy for you to admit it yourself; I'll bet. 'With a mere look'. That was what you told me earlier, right? But what if it's something you can't see? Against someone who is already invisible, it's impossible, isn't it? No matter how athletic you are, an invisible basketball style is unachievable. In other words…!"

Kagami grabbed the head of light-blue hair next to him.

"This girl's your weakness!"

Everyone stared at Kagami again, who was chuckling evilly.

"What are you doing?" Tetsuya muttered, not pleased that her hair was being mussed up.

"Kagami's powerless against Kise," Hyuuga muttered under his breath. "But her weakness is actually…"

"The person who can't do anything but passing, the weakest player on the court, Kuroko-chan?" Riko finished, probably thinking the same thing as Hyuuga.

"Could you please let go of my head already?" The girl grabbed Kagami's hand and shoved it aside. "It hurts."

"Ah, sorry about that. I got carried away."

"What about it?" Kise replied slowly. "It's true that Tetsucchi is the only person I can't copy, but does that change anything?"

"The first quarter is over! Take a two minute break!"

"Well, it changes everything!" Kagami interjected, ignoring the referee. "We'll have you crying in the second quarter! Take my word for it, Kise!"

The red-head walked back to his bench, leaving the blonde girl to glare holes into his back.

**-x-**

"A point difference of eight, huh," The boy watching above gave a smirk. "Seirin's doing a lot better than I thought."

"And looks that fat old man's rattling again," The girl pointed her thumb towards Takeuchi, who was shouting his lungs out at the team.

"On the other hand, looks like Seirin has a plan. What do you think they'll try?"

"I wonder…"

"You already know what that Kagami guy has in mind, right?"

"Of course. I'm not going to tell, though."

"Even if I treat you to melon soda?"

"Hmm… I'll tell you, then."

The boy sighed.

"You're too easy to bribe, sis."

"What Seirin is trying to do is a rather simple. But it depends on how well she can work with that number 10."

"So you mean… they're going to coordinate their plays?"

"You got it without me telling you. That's going to cost you two bottles of melon soda."

"Why?!"

**-x-**

"That's a good plan… but do the two of you think you're up for it?" Riko looked towards the pair.

Tetsuya gave her a firm nod almost immediately, but the boy seemed worried.

"Well… probably. We'll—"

A sudden jab to his ribs caused him to yowl in pain.

"K-Kuroko, you… What was that for?"

"That is my question. What's with that weak resolve of yours? Man up a bit, won't you?"

"Wha—"

"You do want to beat Ryouko-san, don't you?"

Kagami frowned, not pleased that he was lectured by Tetsuya, of all people.

"Well, of course I do!" He resisted the urge to return the jab.

"The second quarter will now begin.

"Well then," Riko gave a smile. "Take care of the counter attack!"

**XXX**

"Nothing's… changed," The boy blinked at the flow of the match.

"It's only the first minute. Give them time."

"But if they don't do it soon, when will they—"

"Patience. All we need is for number 10 to get the ball."

The two watched as the ball was passed from Hyuuga to Izuki… and later, to Kagami.

"Ryouko-chan's still marking him! What's he going to do now?"

"We'll see," The girl had a smirk on her face. "It's now or never."

The boy gave a gasp as he watched Kagami run, dribbling the ball. Kise was close on his tail.

"He's dribbling the ball! Another drive? Another fade-away?"

"I doubt so. Look carefully."

As if it were a decision made in haste, Kagami tossed the ball behind him. Everyone was shocked by the sudden movement.

What was he thinking?

Kise paused in her movements to turn around, aiming to get the ball.

But just as she did so, the ball found its way into another person's hand and was redirected back to Kagami, who caught it with ease.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, he sent the ball through the hoop, scoring another two points for Seirin.

"He's really coordinating with her!" The boy grasped the metal bar of the rails in front of him. "And what perfect timing, too!"

"That's going to be hard to beat."

"But it's just the two of them, right? If you take down one, the other would be in trouble, right?"

"That thinking of yours is too naïve."

"Huh?"

"Kagami is not the only person she can pass to, you know. Don't forget that a team consists of five people. Look: while you were blabbering earlier, she passed it to her captain who shot another three-pointer. This means that their plays have become more flexible now; and a lot harder to predict."

"A five point difference! That's amazing! But isn't Ryouko-san still able to copy their moves?"

"Ryou-chan can't copy her, remember? As long as she and that number 10 are working together, she won't be able to fully copy their play. At the very most, she would be able to get just a bit of it."

"That shows how limited her abilities are," Another voice came from behind them. "But I must say that I'm fairly surprised that a team from a no-name school is able to hold their ground against a one that is of national level. That does not mean that I would approve of them, though."

"My, my. What are you doing here," The girl gave their new companion a grin. "Midorima Makoto-chan."

The green-haired girl was frowning at the two as she pushed up her glasses with her left hand, which had its fingers taped.

"That should have been my question. And what is with that uniform you're wearing? Don't tell me you're attending that school as well…"

"Don't ask. I have no intentions on telling you."

"He's involved in this, isn't he?"

The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes.

"Perhaps."

"If you are not going to give me an answer, then it is useless for me to press further. How are they faring?"

"You mean Seirin? They just found a way to deal with Ryou-chan."

"That number 10… who is he?" Midorima asked as she watched him block Kise's three-point shot. "No matter how you look at him, he's nothing but a brute."

"Don't think so badly of him when you don't know him. Well, to answer that question of yours: he's her new light."

"Oh? That's rather… interesting. I can probably guess why she chose him."

"We can, because we all know her well enough."

"But how far can they go, I wonder."

"Do you mean in basketball or in the other aspect?"

Midorima paused, hesitant to answer.

"Although I was referring to basketball… I can't deny that other thing that you are implying is rather worrisome as well."

"Didn't that monkey tell you the details of what happened between her and that guy?"

"He… Akashi did, but it does not change the fact that it had already happened."

"If you knew, you could have done something to help her, didn't you?

"Well, I…"

She trailed off mid-sentence, unable to continue.

The other girl sighed.

"Tetchan is right; you have changed. All of you; even Ryou-chan and that monkey as well. What happened to the Midorima Makoto I knew two years ago?"

"Fast break!" Kagami's yell brought the attention of the two girls back to the game, only to see Kise's fist colliding with the side of Tetsuya's head.

The teal-haired girl, unable to regain her balance in that short moment, fell to the ground with a large thud.

Everyone, friend and foe, gasped at the sudden twist of fate.

"Oh my…"

"Kuroko!"

"Kuroko-chan!"

"Kuroko!"

"Tetchan!"

The blare of the whistle signaled the start of the next flurry of activity.

"Referee: Time out!"

* * *

Don't you just hate the days when you wake up to see it pouring outside? Well, we don't have snow in Singapore, so it rains often during 'winter.' That means I'm having sliced fish soup for lunch again, yum.

That being said, maybe eating and typing at the same time isn't a very good idea. But if I don't, I wouldn't have much time for typing (at least for the rest of the month). Oh well.

Oh, and we'll end the match by next chapter.

See you later this week!

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next chapter:**

**They're bad at giving up**


	7. Chapter 7

Regarding last chapter, I had meant to write 'mussed' and not 'messed'. (Thanks to **A Natsume Yuujinchou Lover** for asking, though)

Also, here's something I forgot to mention, but recalled when I was replying to **Yui Kagamine**'s review: Midorima and Takao actually are childhood friends in Parallel-verse. Takao moved away after his parent's divorce and changed his surname, but that's another story altogether.

And my thanks to **hitomi65**, **Kuwa-Tokiwa69** and **Yui Kagamine** for reviewing last week's chapter!

Let's get started, shall we?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basket and the song that will be mentioned in this chapter.**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 07**

**They're bad at giving up**

"Referee: Time out!"

"Kuroko-chan!"

"Kuroko!"

Tetsuya was now sitting on the floor of the court. She held her head up slightly, only to reveal the blood that was flowing down the side of her face.

"How awful!" Riko gasped. "Someone! Bring the first-aid kit!"

Kise gasped, unable to move.

She… injured Tetsuya? Her best friend?

"T-T-T-Tetsucchi…"

"You okay, Kuroko?" Hyuuga was the first to run over, the rest of the team soon following. He held the sides of the girl's head to examine her injuries. "That's a terrible injury, oi. It better not leave a scar."

"A s-s-scar?!" Kise paled even more.

"I'm fine… just a little light-headed."

"Are you okay?" Kagami asked, obviously worried.

"I will be fine. The match is just… getting… started…"

She fainted before she could finish her sentence.

"KUROKOOOOOOO!" Hyuuga yelled epically.

Fortunately, Kagami caught her before she could hit the ground again.

"Oi, Kuroko! Hang in there!"

"Kagami-kun, bring her here! Quickly!"

"Yes!"

"You're finished," Kasamatsu sighed, wiping her sweat off her chin. "Something like this shouldn't have happened, but without their first-year duo, they're done for."

"T-Tetsucchi…"

Kasamatsu glanced towards the blonde, noticing the worry and mild horror on her face.

"Oi, Kise; you okay?" She asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah? Oh, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? The look on your face says otherwise."

Kise did not reply immediately, but looked down towards the floor. She only spoke a minute later.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

**-x-**

"Why doesn't this first-aid kit have any bandages?" Riko growled. "This is ridiculous!"

"There was a pharmacy on the way here, wasn't there? I'll go buy some!" Furihata offered.

"Sorry to trouble you!"

Furihata ran, making his way out of the gymnasium.

"Hold on for a moment!"

A girl's voice caught his attention. He stopped, turning around to find the source of that voice.

He was surprised to see it was a girl with long, black hair who had called him. Not to mention that the uniform she was wearing…

"You're from… our school?"

The girl put a finger to her lips.

"Don't be so loud. Here, take this," The girl tossed him a small plastic case. "You were about to get this, weren't you? I overheard your coach."

Furihata examined the item in his hands. It was a small first-aid kit, filled with a small bottle of antiseptic, some plasters and a thick roll of bandages.

"Yes, but how did you… Who exactly are you?

"It doesn't matter. You should hurry back to your team."

"If you don't mind, I'll just take the bandages—"

"Just take the whole thing. You can return it to me later. See you later!"

Before Furihata could say another word, the girl had already disappeared.

He blinked, not knowing what was going on.

But that wasn't important now. He should get back to Coach and the rest of the team.

**XXX**

"Where did you go?" The boy questioned as his companion returned, handing her bag back to her.

"Just somewhere," The girl was panting slightly, sweat forming on her brow.

"You better take it easy. You aren't supposed to—"

"My ankle won't break from a little bit of running. Stop sounding like Mom, for heaven's sake. By the way, where's Mako-chan?"

"She said she was going to watch the match from a less conspicuous area."

"She never changes, does she?" She turned her attention back to Seirin's bench. "Looks like Seirin will have a hard time from now on… but maybe not. The second-years haven't got to show their stuff yet."

**-x-**

"What are going to do?" Hyuuga asked, concerned both for his teammate and for the remainder of the match.

"Kuroko-chan can't play anymore. So let's just make do with the members we have left."

"M-Make do?" Kawahara echoed.

"Isn't this going to be tough without Kuroko?"

"The second–years will handle the offense. Even though it's only the second quarter, it will be dangerous to let them get too far ahead," Riko turned towards the Captain. "It may be too early for you, but it's time to step up the pace, Hyuuga-kun."

"Got it."

Riko turned back to Kagami, who seemed to have his eyes on the unconscious girl. This was the first time anyone in the team had seen him that worried about anything… or anyone, for that matter.

"Kagami-kun?"

"Y-Yeah I'm listening!"

"Though I haven't spoken to you yet?"

"G-Geh!"

"I know you're worried… we all are, for that matter. But don't let that affect themrest of the match, you hear me?"

"I'm sorry."

"Anyway, Kise-chan will just copy you, so don't bother with offense. Make defense your first priority. Do everything you can to stop her from scoring."

"But are you sure that will work?"

"It'll be fine," Hyuuga chided. "Have some faith in us."

"But still…"

"I said it will be fine, you dumbass. Listen to what your seniors have to say ever now and then, or I'll kill ya."

Kagami felt a cold shiver run down his spine when Hyuuga spoke the threat with a smile. It was as if he had suddenly become a different person.

The sound of the whistle signaled the end of the time out.

"Seriously, first years these days; they should show more respect their mighty seniors!" Hyuuga barked as he marched back to his position. "Get down on your knees, you pathetic fools!"

"Your switch is on, Captain!" Izuki yelled towards Hyuuga before turning back to Kagami. "Don't bother so much about him. That's just him during clutch time."

"C-Clutch time?"

"When he speaks out everything that is on his mind, his shots will rarely miss. Let him take care of the offense. Just defend as if your life depends on it. Got it?"

"O-Oh. Right."

**-x-**

"Looks like Seirin is getting back on their feet. That was a nice screen over there; that number 6."

"Number 8's defense is not shabby, either," The girl added. "And there goes another three-pointer from the captain."

"By the way, you did your research on them, right?"

"Of course," She took a folded piece of paper from her skirt pocket and shoved it into the boy's hands. "Read it yourself."

"That's so mean."

"Anyway, looks like this will really be an interesting match to watch."

"Why do you say that?"

"Take a good look at them… they're ready to keep going. They're the kind of people who are bad at giving up…" She licked her dry lips. "I like that."

**XXX**

The third quarter was already underway, and Riko was worried.

It was obvious that the team was starting to lose their focus. If they don't make a comeback soon, they would be in big trouble.

"Coach!" She turned to face a worried Kawahara. "Isn't here anything we can do?"

"Thanks to that high-pace play earlier, they barely have any energy left. Well, it might help if Kuroko-chan is available…"

"I understand."

Riko nearly jumped at the sound of the other girl's voice. She turned around to see Tetsuya getting up, wobbling slowly towards the court.

"Good morning," She spoke as if it were any normal day. "Well then, I'll be going."

"H-Hold on a minute there!" Riko tried to stop her. "What are you talking about?"

"But… you told me to go…"

"I didn't! It was just a slip of the tongue!"

"Then I'll go."

"Hey! You're injured; you should take it easy! Let the rest handle—"

"Coach, please. If my presence on the court can change something, even if it's something on a small scale, let me go. That aside, I promised Kagami-kun… that I would be his shadow."

Riko couldn't say anything this time. The girl looked so serious… not that she usually isn't, but she got the feeling that she would feel guilty if she refused her.

She clenched her fists and sighed once.

"Fine. However, if I sense that you are in any danger, I will take you out of the game; and you will comply obediently. Do you understand?"

The girl gave a small smile.

"Thank you, Coach."

**-x-**

"Seirin! Member change!"

"They're subbing her in? But isn't she injured?"

"She probably asked to be put in, that stubborn fool. Of course, anyone would think that it's ridiculous to have a player with that kind of injury on the court; but once she makes up her mind, no one can stop her," The girl shook her head. "In that way, she's a lot like him."

"Hey, I've been thinking…"

"What is it?"

"Since Ryouko-san injured her… won't Ryouko-san feel bad about it?"

"Well, anyone will."

"So won't it affect her play?"

"Once again, you're being naïve. Don't forget; Ryou-chan's a professional. She knows better than to let anything, no matter how drastic it is, affect her performance on the court. And look: both sides are all ready for action."

**-x-**

From somewhere else in the gymnasium, Midorima pushed up her glasses as she sighed.

"She hasn't changed a bit," She muttered to herself. "Seirin should be starting to improve from here on. What will you do now, Kaijou?"

**XXX**

"W-What is this? Isn't this like the first quarter?"

"Looks like Seirin being able to tie with Kaijou made Ryou-chan step harder on the pedal, hmm…"

"Less than a minute to the end of the match… They're scoring non-stop! There's no telling who's going to win!"

"Both teams better be careful, otherwise the opponent will get the upper hand. That being said, it's during times like these that slip-ups tend to occur."

"Is there another way that Seirin can win, then?"

"Hmm… Unless Kaijou makes a mistake, which is unlikely…" She paused to spot the teal-haired girl, which seemed to be discussing an idea with her partner. "Or they have to score at the very last second."

"You mean a buzzer beater?"

"Only she can think of something like this at a time this crucial."

"Less than ten seconds left… Come on, Seirin!"

"Hey. I thought you were supporting your precious Kise Ryouko-sama?"

"But that number 10's too awesome! I'm going to be his fan!"

"Do whatever you want to."

The two watched, with anticipation as Kagami managed to prevent Kasamatsu from scoring.

"Don't let them get through!" Kasamatsu's yell echoed through the court.

Kagami ran, dribbling the ball with Tetsuya behind him.

As expected, Kise was ahead of them, ready to stop their advance.

"Oi, this isn't good. Since she can't shoot, they'll only be able to pass back and forth, right?"

"Not necessarily. She will shoot."

"Huh? But it won't—"

"Shut up and watch. See?"

Everyone gasped as the girl shot the ball towards the basket.

"It won't go in!"

"It's not a shot, you moron! Look at number 10!"

"I see… It's an alley-oop! But Ryouko-san is fast!"

"…"

"What is it?" The boy turned to her, noticing her frown

"Nothing… I just noticed something strange…"

How was he able to stay so long in the air? She was sure that she saw both of them jump at the exact same time…

The referee's whistle brought her attention back to the courts.

Seirin had made it in time, winning the match 100 to 98.

The girl gave a smile.

"I think my job here is done. Let's go back."

"Huh? Aren't you going to stay?"

"I'm not supposed to be here, remember? And neither are you."

"R-Right."

"Come, let's go."

The two left the gymnasium, making their way out of the school.

While they were passing by the school gates, they spotted something unusual.

"A rickshaw?" The boy raised an eyebrow. "That's rare in this day and age… And isn't that Kazu-kun?"

"He passed out."

"What's he doing here?"

"My guess is that he ferried Mako-chan here all the way from Tokyo."

"That's quite a distance to pedal. No wonder he fainted from exhaustion. Shoule we wake him up?"

"Let's leave him alone. We better get back soon. Mom said she was going to make curry for lunch."

"Really? She never told me… What are you doing?"

The boy gestured towards the cellphone she was holding.

The girl punched in a number before placing the device by her ear.

"You'll see," She grinned at him while waiting for the person over the line to pick up. "Hello? It's me. The practice match just ended…"

**XXX**

"I… lost?" Kise blinked in disbelief as she watched Seirin cheer. "I actually… lost?"

This is the first time in her life that something like this had happened.

"H-Huh?" She murmured, feeling something wet flow down her cheeks. "What is this?"

She reached up to touch her face, wiping away the tears that now stain them.

"H-Hey… Is Kise-chan crying?"

"She must be frustrated over the loss, but still, it's only a practice match!"

"You idiot!"

Kise gave a little gasp as she felt a hand slamming down onto her head, ruffling her hair.

"Stop moping around! Anyway, you can't say that you have never lost before now, right? I'm going to hit you later!"

Kise was at a loss for words, not knowing what she should say to her seniors.

"After you're done crying, work hard and become stronger! Add the word 'revenge' to that minuscule list of vocabulary in your head! And you up there!" She yelled at the boy who had made that remark earlier. "You may think that this is only a practice match, but think of our pride! If you dare to say something like that again, I'll literally kick you out of the club, you hear me?"

"Yuki-senpai…"

"I'll let you get away with calling me that this time. Come, let's line up."

"With a score of 100 to 98, the victor is Seirin High!"

"Thank you very much!"

**XXX**

About half an hour later, after everyone had showered and changed their clothes, they gathered outside the gymnasium.

"That was a great match. Thank you," Kasamatsu held out her hand, which Hyuuga took.

Behind her, Takeuchi looked as if he was about to murder somebody.

"You're welcome. Thank you for having us today."

In contrast to the other coach, Riko was literally beaming.

"It's no problem at all. But if we play again, it'll be at the Inter-High School Tournament; since we're in different prefectures."

"We'll be there," Hyuuga's expression suddenly changed. "I don't want to confess to my love butt naked, you see."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Riko gave a chuckle and everyone felt a large drop of cold sweat running down their faces.

"Okay, let's go!"

"Yes!"

Tetsuya was about to follow behind the rest, until she overheard Kobori, one of the Kaijou regulars.

"Hey, where's Kise?"

"I don't know," Kasamatsu shook her head. "But it's best to leave her alone for now. This is probably the first time she has lost in a match; it's best to let her sort her thoughts out before she's ready to continue with practice again."

"But how long will that take?"

"You don't have to worry about Ryouko-san," Tetsuya spoke, scaring the Kaijou regulars.

"You! You're still here?"

"Ryouko-san is strong. Have faith in her."

**XXX**

In another corner of the school, Kise sighed as she brushed her wet hair away from her face and turned off the tap.

The cold water helped to cool her down, at the very least; but somehow, she didn't feel like going for afternoon practice today…

"Gemini's horoscope predicted the most terrible luck for you today," Kise turned at the sound of the voice which she had not heard in ages. "But to be honest, I didn't think that you would actually lose."

"You came to watch, Makocchi?"

The green-haired girl narrowed her eyes at the nickname.

"I told you not to call me that. Either way, it was an unfortunate game. Even a hairy chimpanzee could have managed those uncouth dunks that you are so fond of."

"So mean. Just because your shots are the most beautiful doesn't mean that you can tell me off like that."

"Excuses aside, it is no wonder fate did not choose your side."

"Anyway, I haven't seen you since Middle School. It's nice to see you again… I guess. I see you haven't stopped with your finger-taping. And besides, who cares if I dunk as long as it goes in."

"That's why you're no good at all. Getting the ball in from a close range is an easy feat; but it is only when it gets in from far away is when it has true value. Didn't anyone teach you the phrase 'do the likeliest and God will do the best' before? It is only with optimal effort that fate makes you worthy of its grace."

Midorima tossed Kise a towel, which she caught with ease.

"I will always do my best no matter what; and I always have the Oha-Asa horoscope lucky item on me. By the way, today's item is a toy frog. That is why my shots will never miss."

Kise stared hard at the frog, never once understanding the 'horoscope' part of the bespectacled girl's speech.

But no matter how weird she was, she was still the number one shooter of the Generation of Miracles: their Shooting Guard, Midorima Makoto.

"That aside, shouldn't you be talking to Tetsucchi instead of me?"

"There's no need to. Our blood-types aren't compatible in the first place; we don't and will never get along very well. I may acknowledge and respect her style, but I cannot accept her decision to attend some small school such as Seirin."

"Oh?"

"I only came today because I heard that we would be playing in the same block for the division preliminaries in the Inter-High. But in my opinion, they are not strong enough to be worthy of—"

_You, with the future you wish for reflected in your eyes, are a courageous girl, now stepping forward—_

The sound of Midorima's phone beeping interrupted her.

"That song…" Kise nearly burst out laughing. "To think that you are still that big a fan of that Onoda Isuke…"

"S-Shut up!" Her face reddened before answering the call. "Hello?"

_"Makoto?"_ The silky voice from over the line made Midorima shudder uncharacteristically.

Kise gave her a quizzical look, wondering who was over the line.

"A-Akashi?"

At that very moment, Kise swore that she was going to faint.

* * *

Note: Midorima's ringtone is one of Ono Daisuke's songs: 'Delight'. I love that song; it's so fun to sing it while doing the laundry.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is finally the day for Anime Festival Asia! I'm so looking forward to it! I'm gonna get Kishio Daisuke's autograph even if it costs me my life! I'll be there almost the whole day tomorrow. Anyone else going?

And one thing I would like to ask: **How many of you would oppose the idea of me going back to updating once a week?** The reason is because I'm going to start working part-time while studying and I will have a lot less time to update. Even though I have nine chapters worth of reserve chapters, I don't want to deplete that supply so quickly (and I will take silence as consent).

Well, that's all we have for the week.

See you next time!

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next chapter:**

**Let's talk**


	8. Chapter 8

AFA was fun, but after play comes work. And I don't ever recall being this busy before.

My thanks to **hitomi65**, **Kura-Tokiwa69**, **Yui Kagamine** and **Dreaming Anon** for reviewing the previous chapter!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and its growing franchise. Yup.**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 08**

**Let's talk**

_"Makoto? Are you still there?"_

"Y-Yes, I am. What is it, Akashi?"

_"I was told that you went to watch the practice match. Is that true?"_

"Yes."

_"Are you with Ryouko at the moment?"_ Akashi spoke his question as if it were a statement. _"Let me speak to her."_

Midorima handed the cell-phone to the blonde, who looked as if she was about to pass out.

"A-A-Akashicchi?"

_"It has been a while, Ryouko."_

"I-It has."

_"Why do you sound so scared of me? Have I done something to frighten you?"_

"O-Of course not. A-Akashicchi hasn't done anything."

_"That is good to hear," Akashi's_ voice suddenly deepened. _"Oh, and I had been informed about that little incident in the second quarter of the match. Care to explain yourself?"_

"I-I didn't mean it, Akashicchi! It was an accident! I'm sorry! I'll never do anything like that again, I swear on Makocchi's Onoda Isuke CD Collection—"

"Oi!"

_"Calm down, Ryouko. There is no need for you to be so worked up about it."_

"Y-Yes!"

_"You should be apologizing to Tetsuya, not me. It would be better for all if she forgives you. But if she doesn't… let's say you could be running an errand for me. To the Undertaker's."_

Kise's face got even paler than it had ever been before.

_"That is all I have to say. Farewell, Ryouko."_

Kise handed the device, back to Midorima, her whole body trembling.

"H-H-How did Akashicchi know?"

"Don't look at me. I didn't tell him about it."

"Then who? Any ideas, Midorimacchi?"

"I have one. It was a rather… unpleasant surprise too, if I must add. To think that she would be attending Seirin as well—"

The ring of a bicycle bell interrupted their conversation.

"Oi! Midorima!" Takao bellowed, looking extremely pissed and worn out. "How dare you leave me by at the school gates on my own! What if I got beaten up or robbed while I was unconscious, huh? Not to mention how embarrassing it was, too!"

"Look like my ride is here," Midorima excused herself. "But allow me to apologize for something in advance. There is no way we will ever lose to Seirin. It's a pity to tell you this, but you should give up on your idea of revenge."

Kise wanted to glare at Midorima for her comment, but her attention was diverted to the Seirin team, who was making their way out of the school.

Her eyes were fixed on the teal-haired girl, who still had the roll of bandages wrapped around her head.

"Tetsucchi…"

**XXX**

Hyuuga sighed as he rubbed his belly.

After this day, he will never look at steak the same way again. Sure it was delicious with the first few bites, but still… It was too much.

He glanced towards Kagami, who was still stuffing his cheeks like a starved squirrel.

"Someone, remind me how we landed up in this situation again?" Koganei muttered from a few chairs away.

"When we arrived back at our usual station, we wanted to get something to eat so we can celebrate; but we were pathetically broke. It was then that crazy woman over there came up with this insane idea," Hyuuga pointed towards Riko, who was watching Kagami down everyone's leftovers as if he were breathing air, in awe. "And here we are now."

"Still, Kagami's amazing! How can he eat so much?"

"It's probably an American thing."

"What kind of stereotype is that supposed to be?"

"Stereotype or not, most people don't usually eat thirty-over kilograms of steak in half an hour, oi!"

"Well, he's still growing, so let him eat," Riko smiled cheerfully. "Boys need to build their muscles and grow big, right?"

"He's big enough already!"

"By the way, where's Kuroko?" Izuki asked, glancing towards the empty chair next to Hyuuga. "Wasn't she there a minute ago?"

"Now that you mention it, I haven't noticed where she had gone."

"The washroom, maybe?" Tsuchida suggested.

"Perhaps."

**XXX**

A small bell tinkered as Tetsuya opened the door of the steak house, stepping outside.

She gave a sight, rubbing her stomach. She wasn't used to eating that much at one go; maybe she shouldn't have pushed herself so far.

Thank God she knew of Kagami's monstrous appetite, otherwise their whole team would be in serious debt.

She looked up, surprised to see Kise smiling at her.

"Ryouko-san?" What are you doing here?"

"I had a job nearby; I saw you team inside through the window. But that's not important. Let's talk for a while, shall we?"

"… Sure."

"But let's take this somewhere else… how about that park over there?"

"Fine by me."

**XXX**

A short while after Tetsuya left, the rest of the Seirin team were ready to leave the steak house."

"Thank you for the food!" Riko cheered happily.

"Yeah. Don't ever come back here again!" The angry shopkeeper barked, not happy that a hundred thousand yen's worth of steak was eaten within half an hour; and most of it by one single person.

"Urgh. I think I might have eaten too much."

"You really are one hell of a monster," Hyuuga sighed. "Are you really Japanese?"

"But you saved us, big time."

"Okay! Time to head home. Is everyone here?"

"Oh? Where's Kuroko?"

"She's probably behind everyone, just as usual…"

Everyone turned towards the entrance of the steak house, hoping to see a head of light-blue hair.

"She's… not here."

**XXX**

"It has been a while since we last talked like this, hasn't it?" Kise smiled at her friend, holding a basketball in hand. "How's that injury of yours?"

"It's fine. The doctor said it's just a bruise, but it won't leave a mark or scar when it heals."

"That's a relief. I'm sorry… for causing it."

"It was an accident. There is no need for you to apologise."

Kise placed her bag down my one of the benches before sitting down. Tetsuya remained standing, facing the girl.

"By the way, I met Makocchi today."

"Hmm…" Tetsuya murmured in acknowledgement. "To be honest, I don't get along with her very well."

Kise chuckled.

"You're right about that. There aren't many people who can handle that personality of her's. But we both know that that left hand of hers is not something to be taken lightly. Especially when it's a good day for Cancers."

"Of course."

"Well, it seems like she only came to watch the game today. But that aside," Kise leaned backwards to watch the clouds go by. "First you turned me down; and now I lost today's match. My high-school life is pretty much screwed up now."

She placed the ball on her forehead, balancing it.

"Knowing how stubborn you are, I didn't expect you to say yes, but I was really serious."

"The ball is going to drop."

Tetsuya paused before looking downwards to the ground.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? I was kidding, anyway," Kise stood up, holding the ball in both hands. "But this wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to ask you for your reason."

"Reason?"

Kise threw the ball towards the other girl, who caught it effortlessly.

"Why did you suddenly disappear before the finals of the Inter-Middle School Tournament last year?"

"You could have asked Akashi-kun, right?"

"It's not like he would tell us the entire truth if we asked."

"True."

"Moreover, I want to hear what Tetsucchi has to say rather than hearing it from someone else."

"…"

Tetsuya stared at her for a while before she replied.

"To be honest, I'm not too sure myself."

"Hah?"

"Well, there is no one reason that led to my decision. I'm sure you do know that something happened between me and him, right?"

Kise bit her lip and nodded slowly.

"But perhaps that was only the trigger."

"What do you mean?"

"Truth to be told, I had been thinking about quitting the team for a long time. I had been questioning Teikou's policies for quite a while, back then; because I felt that we lacked something."

"Lacked… what? If we are talking about sports, then it's all about winning, right? What can be more important than that?"

"Recently, I have had those same thoughts as you did. That is why I have yet to figure out what is wrong with it, but the only thing I do know is that I hated basketball back then."

She paused, as if she had stopped herself from saying something that she did not want to say.

"The feel of the ball in my hand. The squeaking sound the shoes make as we run on the court. The swish of the net as the shot is being made. I started basketball because I loved it. That was probably why I was impressed when I met Kagami-kun."

She looked down at the basketball she was holding with a small smile.

"Despite what he says and how he acts, his love for basketball is genuine; I can tell. I suspect that he had been through some rough times, but he takes it more seriously than anyone else I had ever seen."

"Even more than Aominecchi?"

Tetsuya flinched slightly at the mention of the name of her former light.

"… Perhaps just as much, or even more than he used to."

"But there is another thing you aren't telling me, right? Why did you start to hate basketball?"

"…"

"Is it that big a reason that you can't tell me, Tetsucchi?"

"It is; to me."

"Well, I'm not going to force you to tell me if you don't want to. I don't get that bit earlier about Kagami, but there is one thing I have to say. If you are going to think so fondly of him because of his attitude towards basketball, my advice is that you better not stay too near him. Someday, the two of you will have to part ways."

At this, Tetsuya's eyes narrowed.

"The difference between me and the other four isn't our physical abilities, if you didn't realize. They all have something special that even I can't copy. It occurred to me during the game that he… Kagami is still growing. Just like the rest of us, he possesses a unique ability. At this moment, he's nothing but a person who enjoys playing against strong opponents for the thrill of it."

Kise paused, expecting some sort of a reply from her friend; but there was none.

"But someday, he will achieve the same level as us; and grow apart of his team because of this. What makes you think that he wouldn't change from the way he is now?"

Tetsuya said nothing to the question. Just as her lips parted slightly to give her reply, she felt a large hand clamping down onto her head. She dropped the basketball in surprise, letting it roll towards the bushes.

"Why the heck did you disappear like that for, huh?!"

"Kagami-kun?"

"K-Kagami?"

The red-head gave the surprised blonde a half-glare.

"Yo."

She gave him a guilty smile in return.

"You were listening in on us?"

"Why would I? I have no interest in listening to what girls gossip about. That aside, why did you kidnap Kuroko for?"

"I just wanted to talk to her for a tiny bit. Is there a problem with that?"

"We can't go home without her! Coach keeps nagging about responsibility and that kind of crap! Everyone's worried sick and looking for her."

"You could have just called her on her cell-phone, you know."

"I don't have her number! Or her mail address for that matter!"

"You could've just asked her for it."

Loud murmurings from the nearby street-ball court caught Kagami's attention just as he was about to retort.

"Who are those thugs?" He muttered with a displeased look.

Kise, too, was watching them with a frown.

They reminded her of a certain someone back from her days at Teikou Middle… of a person whom everyone in the Generation of Miracles think would be better off dead than anything else in the world.

"Those kids are not bad," Kagami muttered to himself. "While that other group of bastards seemed to be all talk…"

He gasped as the two of them watched another guy knock down one of the players just as he was about to score.

"That was dirty…" Kagami growled, only to notice his teal-haired teammate approaching them. "K-Kuroko?! What is she thinking?!"

"Tetsucchi!" Kise wailed from behind him, running over to save her friend.

"Oi, Kise! Not you too!" Kagami gave an anguished sigh before following behind them.

**-x-**

"What do you think you're doing, huh?" One of the guys lifted her up by her collar. "Just because you're a girl doesn't mean that we won't hesitate to hit you!"

His teammate behind him, which got his nose scalded by the friction of Tetsuya's spinning basketball earlier, chuckled.

"To think there are fools like this around these days. Go easy and don't hit her; we could come up with something fun to do later."

Tetsuya did not seem fazed by the comment. She remained staring into the eyes of her aggressor, her expression still emotionless.

"I would appreciate if you could let me go."

"Hah?"

"I told you to let me go."

"You have got to be joking, right? Just because you asked nicely doesn't mean that I have to comply—"

The thug flinched at the sudden change in the girl's aura.

"Let. Me. Go."

He did as he was told, backing away slowly from the girl for fear of being slaughtered.

"Oi, what's with you?" His friend taunted. "Scared of a little girl? Well then; since you're so against us… Let's settle this with a little basketball, shall we?"

He immediately regretted his decision when he spotted Kagami behind her.

"Do you mind if we join to?" Kise asked, a smile on her face. "Basketball's always more fun with more people!"

"Why did you suddenly get involved in all this, huh?" Kagami scolded his teammate, who gave him an apologetic glance in return.

"H-He's huge….!" One of the thugs stuttered.

"But their side has two girls! There's no way that we're going to lose to them!"

"Look at that blondie; I bet she can't play for shit! All she has is a pretty face!"

"So, are we game?" Kagami asked.

"Five-on-three is fine with us!" Kise chirped cheerfully before her aura turned ominous, resembling a certain red-haired player from her old team. "And just because I'm a girl and have a pretty face doesn't mean I can't kick your stupid butts. I'll make you regret underestimating females like that, you sexist bastards."

"Let's get it started."

**XXX**

A brief ten minutes later, the group of thugs lay on the ground in utter defeat.

"They totally destroyed them…" The group of three boys who had got picked on earlier mumbled in unison.

"They're amazing!"

"Not just that huge guy, but those cute girls as well…!"

"So this is what they mean by hell hath no fury than a woman scorned, huh?"

They watched with grateful glances of awe as the three left the court.

**XXX**

"You! Just what the hell were you thinking? Did you even think of what those shitheads could've done to you? Consider your own safety for once, will ya?"

"I'm sorry…" Tetsuya gave a slight pout, displeased at the fact that she was being lectured.

"What would happen if they really beat you up, huh? Can you even fight them back?"

"Of course not. I would have faced a glorious loss if I tried. Check it out; these awesome muscles."

She flexed one arm to emphasize her point.

"Like you have any!"

"Tetsucchi; you can be really amazing at times," Kise sighed. "I'm not sure if it's in your blood, but I see that it's one thing about you that isn't going to change."

She was glad that she and Kagami managed to intervene in time. If something were to really happen to her… let's just say that those thugs would be getting a glimpse of how hell would look like.

Especially since **he** would crush anyone who dares to touch even a hair on the head of his precious cousin.

"I couldn't just stand by and watch. What those guys did was terrible. I only wanted to tell them that, though," She looked to the side, still pouting stubbornly.

"Consider the consequences first!"

Tetsuya looked up at Kagami.

"I forgot to."

"WHAT THE HELL?! Y-You!" The red-head tried his best to hold in all the profanities that he was tempted to spew out. "Don't give me that crap! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"I did say I was sorry."

"Don't ever try this again, you hear me?"

"Yes, mother."

"What are you, a rebellious kid? Don't call me that!"

"I'm sorry."

Kise watched the two bicker with a smile.

"Well, then; I should be going. I'll be late for my job." She picked up her bag, slinging her jacket over her shoulder. "I finally got to play with you again, Tetsucchi. Let's play again sometime!"

Tetsuya's eyes softened as she saw the bright, beaming smile on Kise's face.

She hadn't seen that smile in a long time.

"Oh; and don't think I've forgotten about my revenge, Kagamicchi!"

"Ka-Kagamicchi?!"

"Ryouko-san adds the suffix '-cchi' to the names of people she acknowledges. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Like it is!"

"Don't lose in the preliminaries!" Came the blonde's voice before she disappeared.

The two watched her leave in silence.

"Kagami-kun."

"What?"

"Can I ask you something? Did you overhear my conversation with Ryouko-san?'

"Does it make a difference if I did?"

"…"

"To be honest; we don't really get along that well in the first place. All this talk of parting ways is ridiculous. Besides, you were the one who was going on about me not being able to do it alone, right? There's nothing to worry about."

"Still…"

"You always stand by the light, right? That is your style of basketball. "

Tetsuya squinted as the light from the burning sunset seemed to give Kagami's body a faint glow; as if it were illuminated by some sort of magic.

To her surprise, she felt her cheeks heating up slowly.

She turned her head away from him almost immediately, shocking he boy with her gesture.

"W-What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Kagami-kun… says some deep things every once in a while."

"S-Shut up! Anyway, I have something to ask you too."

"What is it?" She replied still looking away.

"Tell me your mail address and your phone number."

Tetsuya took a peek at Kagami, who was averting his gaze as well.

She stared straight at him, her eyes widening comically.

"W-What's with that look?"

"Oh my; I didn't know that Kagami-kun was interested in me. What should I do?"

"You got it wrong, oi! It's just in case you disappear and we can't contact you and…"

Tetsuya stifled a small laugh as she watched him try to explain himself.

"What's so amusing?"

"Nothing."

"A-Anyway, I'll tell the seniors that you're safe and sound with me; so let's go home. I'll walk you back."

"Thank you, Kagami-kun."

* * *

I just realized that I haven't done Midorima's profile yet: her height is 175 cm and her weight is about 62 kg.

And from this week onwards, thanks to my new part-time job, we'll have a new chapter every week instead of twice.

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next chapter:**

**Seirin's Sandwich Crisis!**


	9. Chapter 9

Why didn"t anyone remind me that I had forgotten to put in the title for the previous chapter? Oh well; I'll just edit it later.

Working part-time while you're still studying isn't an easy feat, but I'm starting to get the hag of it. Even if I had to do overtime work on my first day.

My thanks to **Infinte Skye, hitomi65, yin13147 and Yui Kagamine** who reviewed the previous chapter! I'm sorry that I don't have the time to reply to you; things have been very busy out of late. And to all my readers, thank you for your continuous support!

AND THANK YOU FOR THE 50 FOLLOWS!

Let's get started, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket.

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 09**

**Seirin's Sandwich Crisis!**

It was Monday; and it was a normal day of school for the students of Seirin High.

However, despite having a day of rest, the members of the basketball team were exhausted.

In class 1-B, Kagami was caught for sleeping in class; and was awarded with a trip to the teacher's office after school. Behind him, Tetsuya had been snoozing quietly, her head propped up on one hand. Kagami glared at the girl and wondered why he was the only one who was caught.

In class 2-D, Mitobe could barely keep his eyes open, looking as if he could nod off at any time. Koganei was squirming about in his seat, stretching his legs and arms in attempt to soothe the sore in his muscles.

In another classroom, Izuki was already nodding off, despite being the attentive student he usually was.

Hyuuga kept yawning throughout his lesson, unable to focus on the content that was being delivered at the front of the class. Riko, noticing this, made a note in her exercise book to focus more on stamina training.

"That reminds me…" She smiled, spotting the date on the chalkboard. "It's today, huh."

She whipped out her cell phone under her table to type in a quick message to send it to the first-years.

"All first-years," She recited under her breath. "Come to the second-year classroom block during lunch break."

She smiled to herself as she hit the 'send' button.

This was going to be interesting.

**XXX**

"All of you, go buy some bread."

The first-years of the basketball club, now gathered in the corridor, stared at their coach as if she had lost her mind.

"Hah?" They all mouthed at the same time. "Bread…?"

"That's right! Let me tell you something: On the 27th of every month, the bakery of Seirin High School sells a limited quantity of a very special kind of bread."

"Uh huh…" Kagami raised one eyebrow, still not understanding what she was trying to say.

"It is said that eating this fantastic bread can bring you great success; be it in love, club activities or anything else. The triple delicacy Iberian pork cutlet sandwich with caviar, foie gras and truffles! It's all yours for a wonderful price of only two thousand and eight hundred yen!"

"That's expensive!"

"And there's so much stuff there, it might be trash, right?"

"Look, we beat Kaijou; and practice is coming along well," Hyuuga was next to speak. "We're having you to get this fantastic bread so that you can continue to make progress."

"But just a little heads up, we're not the only ones who have out eyes on it. It'll probably get a little bit busier than usual."

Hyuuga turned his head to the side to hide his grimace.

"We're just going to buy bread, right? That'll be a piece of cake… madam."

"Take this." Hyuuga handed a brown envelope to Kagami.

"Huh?"

"Of course, the second-years are paying for this. There's a lot of change in there, so grab lunch for everyone else while you're there. We're fine with anything, so just grab what you can find. But if you fail…"

Hyuuga's aura suddenly became ominous.

"… We won't need any change. Instead, we'll make sure that you'll enjoy the triple load of strength training and footwork we have prepared specially for you. Do you comprehend?"

The juniors trembled in fright; for their captain had entered lunch-time clutch-time.

"You better go. If you don't hurry, it'll be sold out in no time," Izuki advised.

"Izuki-senpai…"

"You don't have to worry. We all managed to buy some last year; and it's just an errand to buy some bread… Bread?" He took out his notebook, scribbling his new joke onto it. "Panda bears eat panda bread."

He turned to the first years, hoping for them to laugh. Unfortunately, all he could see was their retreating backs.

"We'll be going!"

"We'll be waiting for you on the rooftop!"

"…" Mitobe gave a look of concern as he watched them leave.

"You always worry too much, Mitobe," Koganei gave his friend a pat on the back. "Are you their mom?"

Hyuuga couldn't blame him for being worried; because he was, too.

"But really, what do you mean by 'a little bit busier than usual'?"

"Ehh?" Riko gave an innocent smile. "I plan to make this an annual event for all first-years."

"Seriously?"

"I'm serious! Since when I have I been the kind of person who would joke around?"

"Shall we head up to the roof first?" Izuki suggested.

"Why don't one of you go get some juice or them? As a reward for their hard work."

The tallest of the boys raised his hand.

"Mitobe says he'll go."

"Can you handle it by yourself, Mitobe-kun?"

He nodded with a smile.

"Here," Hyuuga handed him some coins. "Just get enough for the kids. We don't need anything to drink, so it's fine."

Mitobe gave another nod before making his way to the vending machines at the first story.

"Let's head up then!"

**XXX**

"Ah, there's already someone on the rooftop," Riko sighed as she spotted a lone girl at the rooftop area. "Shall we find somewhere to gather?"

"But everywhere else is crowded right now…"

"Not to mention we're not allowed to bring food into the clubrooms."

"What will we do?"

"Excuse me," The girl who had been eating on the roof approached the group of seniors. "I'm sorry, but I overheard your conversation. If you don't mind; you can eat up here."

"Is that okay?"

"It's fine. I'm almost done, anyway," She gestured to tiny bit that was left of the sandwich she was eating. "I can just return to my own classroom to finish this up."

"Oh! Sorry for troubling you!" Riko gave a light bow in both gratitude and apology.

"It's alright. I'm fine with it," She smiled to Riko and the rest of the boys. "You are… the seniors from the basketball club, right?"

"How did you know?"

"I saw that article outside the library."

"That explains it."

"Ah; I shouldn't hold you up for too long. See you again soon!" She gave them a polite bow before hopping down the stairs.

"Who is she?" Koganei whispered to Izuki. "She's pretty."

"Never seen her before," Izuki whispered back. "Judging by what she had said, she's probably a first year student. She does looks familiar to me, though."

The second-years watched the girl as she made her way down the steps, humming a little song as she went along. Just as she disappeared from their sight, she called out to them once more.

"Congratulations on beating Kaijou with that awesome buzzer beater!"

The members of the Seirin Basketball Club exchanged a glance with each other as they entered the rooftop area.

"By the way, wasn't that… the Iberian sandwich she was eating?"

"Yeah; but it has only been about ten minutes since lunch break started…"

"But doesn't it take about three to five minutes to walk from bakery to the roof? Not to mention that the crowd was that large when we sent the first-years off eight minutes ago."

"That must mean that she's really fast at doing stuff, right?"

"Hey," Riko was frowning. "There's something bothering me."

"What is it?" Hyuuga asked, leaning against the metal rails.

"Other than our basketball team and Takeda-sensei, no one else in our school should know about our match with Kaijou; much less know how it ended. But for her to know specifically that we won with a buzzer beater… Who is that girl?"

"Who knows…"

"Maybe she had a friend in Kaijou?"

"Perhaps, but something tells me that's not the case."

"How do you know?"

"Woman's instinct."

"Ah."

"By the way; check out the crowd down there!" Koganei exclaimed excitedly. "I can see Kagami from here."

"Uwahh; that's nuts."

"Is that Fukuda-kun?"

"Kagami's trying crowd-surfing! That's amazing! Hey, let's make a bet! The person who is able to find Kuroko gets a thousand yen!"

"Koganei; you have to be joking."

"And where will that thousand yen pop out from, huh? Are you a rich man's son or something like that?"

"I think they got sent flying again."

"…"

"Oh ho! Mitobe!"

"Mitobe-kun! Welcome back! Thank you for your hard work!"

"…"

"Mitobe says that it was no trouble at all."

"We can understand, Koga."

"Hey, I think Kuroko managed to get one."

"Really? I don't see her, Izuki."

"She's back there. Next to Kagami and the rest."

"As expected, the Phantom Sixth Man is on a whole different level of her own."

"Hey, I have been wondering, but why is she called the Phantom Sixth Man when she's a girl? It should be the Phantom Sixth Woman instead."

"You're taking it too literally, Koga."

**XXX**

"Ah, they're here," Riko's announcement led all heads to turn towards the first years.

Everyone looked beat-up, with the exception of the sole female, who did not even have a hair out of place.

"We bought them," Kawahara handed the plastic bag full of Iberian sandwiches to the seniors.

"Thank you for your hard work! Here, we bought some juice for you."

"About this…"

"It's fine. You guys eat first. You were the ones who went through all that hard work to get it, anyway."

"Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. Don't hold back."

"Well then, I guess we'll take turns. Who's going first?"

"I think Kuroko should go first. After all, she was the one who got most of them."

"Is that fine with all of you?"

"Of course. Ladies first."

"Well then; thank you for the food."

Tetsuya took a sandwich out of the bag, unwrapping it slowly. All the others watched as she brought the bread up to her lips, taking a bite out of it. She chewed slowly, swallowing the mouthful before she spoke again.

"This is…"

"How is it?"

"It's… the best thing I have ever tasted."

The girls started to radiate sparkles, much to the astonishment of the boys.

"I've never seen Kuroko this happy-looking before! It's a first!" Kawahara gasped, as if he had just seen Japan's national treasure.

"I'm next!" Fukuda chirped, taking a large mouthful. "What is this? It's delicious! Is this what is called a harmony of flavours…?"

"Let me try," Furihata was next. "The juiciness of the pork and the sweetness of the foie gras and the acidity of the caviar… it's… it's…"

He was obviously at a loss for words.

"I don't care what it is or how it tastes like as long as it's big," Kagami interjected, taking a large bite of his one meter-long BLT sandwich.

"What's that supposed to be?"

"A super long BLT… I never knew it existed."

"Do people even bake bread that is one meter long?"

"If they do, the oven must be humongous."

The seniors exchanged smiles between themselves, happy to see their juniors enjoying themselves. Looks like the team will have a good foundation from that cohort.

"Kagami-kun, how can you say such a thing when you haven't tried it yet?" The teal-haired girl now seated next to him, her sandwich in one hand and his share in the other. "You should try one, since we bought one for you as well."

"I'll pass. It's too small."

"Don't be so stubborn. Here."

Just as Kagami opened his mouth to take another large bite of the BLT, Tetsuya stuffed the special sandwich into it; almost choking the boy.

Everyone else behind them tried their best to hold in their laughter.

"Mmmphm! Mpmh…!" (Kuroko, you…)

"Don't talk. Bite. And don"t forget to chew."

"Mmmpmh, mmmgmh!" (I get it, I get it!)

The boy bit down on the sandwich. As he chewed on the mouthful, his eyes gradually widened.

"How is it?"

"It's… surprisingly good. I have never tasted anything like this before."

"Good. Now finish the whole thing. Say 'ahh' and open wide."

"Why are you feeding me?"

"It is a privilege to be fed by me, Kagami-kun. Now open up."

"What are you, some princess or—mpmmgh!"

Riko watched the two interact with a strange sparkle in her eyes, while the rest of the team felt a drop of sweat or two run down their cheeks.

"What's… with this atmosphere?"

"Since when did they get along so well?"

"I wonder…"

"Is it me, or do they look like an old married couple?" Hyuuga muttered under his breath.

"They're a couple? Since when?"

"…"

"Mitobe says it's a figure of speech, Koganei."

"Oh."

**XXX**

"Kagami-kun, hurry. Or we'll be late for class. The bell will ring in two minutes."

"I get it already!"

"Wait a minute," Tetsuya paused outside the backdoor of their classroom. "You have some caviar on your face."

"Huh? Where?"

"Bend down a little," The girl retrieved her handkerchief from her pocket, using it to wipe the food off the sides of his mouth.

Kagami felt a little blush rise on his face.

What was wrong with him? Why was he getting so embarrassed for?

She was just his teammate… right?

"That should do it."

"T-Thanks."

"Are you alright, Kagami-kun?" She placed her hand onto his forehead. "You're burning up. A fever?"

"I-I'm fine!" Kagami stormed into the classroom ahead of her, slamming the door with a force so hard it frightened everyone else in the room.

He sat down in his seat, looking out of the window in hopes that the scenery would clear his thoughts. The girl took her seat behind him, not saying another word. She pulled out her books from under the table to prepare for the next lesson.

It was then she noticed a small, chrysanthemum-yellow coloured card that was placed between two books, with a message written on it.

_Meet me on the rooftop after school tomorrow._

She frowned as her eyes glanced over the words that were written on it. She would recognize that scribblish handwriting anywhere.

This is going to be trouble, she thought as she slipped the card into her pocket.

* * *

Note: Some details and a new list have been added to the lists on the first page. It's now version 4.1, yay.

We're going to have a little original mini-arc for the next two chapters. I name it the 'Fake Kuroko mini-arc'. (Spoilers!)

I'm going to take my time to walk to my next class now, so see you next week… if my psychology paper doesn't kill me first.

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next chapter:**

**Who are you?**


	10. Chapter 10

I apologize for this being late; I'm really, really busy this week. Please expect the next chapter to be out in the later half of the week as well.

My thanks to Yui Kagamine, hitomi65 and Infinite Skye for reviewing the previous chapter!

A side note: I created Tetsuya's parents, Kotetsu and Tetsuno, based on the parents of a protagonist of a shoujo manga. I can't remember which one it is, but I think it's "Watashi ni xx Shinasai". You'll get their profile when I'm not in the midst of struggling with work.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket.**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 10**

**Who are you?**

"Good morning," Tetsuya yawned as she entered the dining room, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes.

"Good morning. Tetchan!" Her mother gave her a bone-crushing hug. "Did you sleep well? Did you have any nice dreams?"

"M-Mom… I-I can't…"

"Dear," Her father intervened on her behalf. "You're going to suffocate her."

"Oops! Sorry, dear!"

"It's fine. Thanks, dad."

"We're having eggs and sausages for breakfast this morning!" Kuroko Tetsuno beamed as she set the dishes on the table. "Do you want some toast, Tetchan?"

"Just one slice."

"Only one? You should eat more, dear!"

"It's enough for me."

"Honey, are you coming home for dinner tonight? I was thinking of making curry and pork cutlets."

"I might have to work overtime today," Kuroko Kotetsu set the newspaper he was reading aside. "That time of the cycle is approaching; so I want to get as much work done as possible before the deadline. Why don't you leave a portion as for my lunch tomorrow?"

"Anything for you, sweetie!"

Tetsuya grimaced at the corniness of her mother's nicknames for her father.

"What is it, Tetchan?"

"It's nothing."

"We should eat before the food gets cold. Let's tuck in!"

"Thank you for the food."

They started to eat, their mealtime passing in complete silence.

"By the way, Tetsuya," Her father spoke when he finished. "How is school?"

Tetsuya raised her eyebrow.

Her father wasn't a man of many conversations; so it was rare that he would ask something like that out of the blue. Still, she inherited his personality, so she knew his intentions well enough.

"It's coming along fine, I guess."

"Made any friends yet?"

"Barely."

"I see. And the basketball club? How was your first practice match?"

"We won."

"That's good to hear," There was a long pause before the man spoke again. "Your mother told me that there's this boy who's been walking you home."

Tetsuya nearly choked on her bite of toast.

"Mom…"

"I'm sorry dear; I just **had** to tell him."

Tetsuya sighed.

"He's my teammate from the basketball club. We happened to live in the same direction, so he walked me home."

"Well, isn't he quite the gentleman. You should invite him over for dinner sometime."

"Mom…"

"Oh, don't be so shy! He is quite good-looking, as I've seen from those little glimpses through the window."

"Mom…"

"Not to mention that boys nowadays are just so ill-mannered! It's rare that they do offer to send a girl to her doorstep after their club activities."

"Mom…"

"Plus, he may be my future son-in-law!"

"MOM!"

"You mean he's not your type?"

"That's not it… Wait. How do you even know my type? I don't recall telling you—"

"You mean he's not interested in you?"

"That, I do not know. I'm pretty sure he is not." At the moment, she added silently.

"Then it's fine, right? Invite him over one of these days! As a 'friend', of course."

"Dad…" Tetsuya looked at her father, hoping that the man would oppose.

"I don't see why not."

"Not you too."

"What is his name?"

"Kagami Taiga."

"Never heard of him," The man frowned as he took a sip of his coffee.

"He attended Middle School in America. Picked up basketball there, too," She gave her father a wary glance. "Please don't suggest that you want one of your journalists to do an article on him for your magazine."

"That's a fantastic idea," The man's usually stoic face lit up. "We haven't done anything on Seirin High yet. Why didn't I think of it sooner?"

"Tetchan, you're a genius!"

"I'll discuss it with one of the journalists at our next meeting."

"Why don't you ask Tomoe-chan? She did that fantastic article on Kaijou High for last year's Winter Cup, didn't she?"

"I don't know. She lives in Kyoto now, so it's hard to meet up. Maybe I could ask Saga or Oda instead."

"Those two aren't any good! I'm not letting some amateur writer do an article for my baby's school!"

"They are professional writers."

"Nonsense! Did you even see the crap they spewed about that Middle School last year? You know, the one that Ichiru-chan's daughter attended? Oh, if only I didn't retire, I could be the one who would write it…"

Tetsuya groaned.

She stood up from her seat, collecting her dishes to bring them to the sink in the kitchen.

"I'm done with my meal. I'll be going now."

"Eh? Tetchan, you're leaving already?"

"I'm going to be late if I don't leave soon."

"Have a safe trip dear!"

"Be careful."

"I know. See you tonight."

"Tetchan! Mommy and Daddy love you!"

Tetsuya couldn't help but to smile at her parents.

"I love the both of you, too."

Both parents watched as their daughter left, shutting the door of the combined living-dining area behind her.

"Oh! If I'm not mistaken, Ichiru-chan mentioned that her daughter was attending Seirin as well."

"Is that so? Wasn't she supposed to attend Fumika Private School?"

"Who knows… Tetchan never once mentioned anything about it…"

**XXX**

"Koga, you're reading those back issues of monthly basketball again?"

"Where did they pop out from anyway?"

"I just found a whole bunch of them here. Maybe they're Tsucchi's?"

"It's not mine. I think Coach once mentioned that they were supplied by Takeda-sensei."

"That explains a lot. What are you reading about, Koga?"

"This. It's about some school that faced Teikou in the finals of last year's Inter-Middle tournament. Apparently, they were the ones who scored the most against the Generation of Miracles in record history, but they still lost."

"Which school is that?"

"Who knows? It wasn't written here. They don't really have a picture, either. All it says is that they managed to score 104 points during that match."

"Seriously?!"

"But Teikou crushed them with 218 points."

"That's still double their score!"

"That aside, is it even possible to score that many points in one match?"

"That makes an average of 5 points per minute!"

"As expected, the Generation of Miracles are all monsters."

"But still, that school is amazing. Any more details about them, Koga?"

"Well, there was some mention about them being an expert in fast play… looks like they have the same style as us."

"Run-and-gun, huh."

"They only mentioned two individual players: Their shooting guard and their point guard, who are experts in quick shooting and steals respectively."

"Steals, huh? Isn't that something like the opposite of what Kuroko does?"

"Speaking of Kuroko, she is quite apt at stealing, isn't she? That back-tip she did in the Kaijou match isn't as easy as it looks. I never seen someone steal a ball that fast… other than that—"

"Mention his name and I'll murder you."

Koganei paled, placing his hands over his mouth before Hyuuga would decide to murder him.

"Maybe Kagami served as too good a distraction?"

"What logic is that supposed to be?"

"Ah, Kuroko," Koganei chirped as he noticed the girl walking in. "You have changed already?"

The girl blinked at him once.

"Yes, I have."

"Your voice sounds odd," Izuki pointed out, a concerned frown on his face. "Do you have a sore throat?"

"Perhaps," She shrugged as she placed her bag in her locker.

"…" The silent senior held out a small tin to the girl, containing little round pieces of what looked like candy.

"Mitobe says you should have one of these honey-lemon drops," Koganei translated. "It's good for sore throats, he says."

"Thank you."

"…" Mitobe gave a smile and a nod in acknowledgement.

"But are you feeling well enough for practice?" Hyuuga asked. "If you're not feeling well, you can go first; I'll let Coach know later when she returns from the coaches' meeting for the Inter-High."

"Huh? Kuroko's sick?" Kagami, who had just entered the locker room, asked with surprise.

"I'm fine," The girl retorted stubbornly. "I'll continue with practice today."

""Don't push yourself too hard."

"I won't. Thank you for your concern. I'll be heading out first."

Everyone watched as their lone female player left the locker room, shutting the door silently behind her.

After making sure that she was out of ear-reach, Izuki spoke again.

"Say, isn't Kuroko acting a bit weird today?"

"Hmm? Why do you say that, Izuki?"

"Well… I think you can call it a feeling? Her aura seems to be a bit different. Not to mention that she seems to be more… visible today. Usually we rarely notice when she comes in, but today…"

"That so? Oh; now that you mention it, she's more noticeable than she usually is."

"Maybe her presence just grew stronger?"

"Things like that just don't happen overnight!"

"Kagami? What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Kagami turned towards Tsuchida, who was giving him a queer glance. "Oh. It's nothing."

"Don't just stand there and space out, moron. Hurry up and change; or you'll be late for practice. We'll be going ahead first."

"Okay!"

After everyone else had vacated the room, Kagami sat down on one of the benches, his eyebrows knitted in a questioning thought.

"What the hell is going on here?" He growled to himself.

What kind of trick was that supposed to be?

Just now, when Kuroko walked past him… No, it can't be possible, right?

If it was, what was the purpose being doing something like this?

The seniors seemed to have suspected something, but it did not bother them one bit. His instincts told him that something fishy was up; but what exactly?

Maybe he should play along and see how it goes.

Who knows, maybe he would get to see something interesting.

**XXX**

"Okay! Five minute break before we continue!" Hyuuga huffed, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm glad that it's breezy today," Koganei muttered as he collapsed onto the wooden floor of the gymnasium. "But running that much is…"

"Even without Coach around we still have to give it our all. Not to mention that what she might do to us if she know that we slacked off during our training. Not that we dare to in the first place, but…"

"Izuki, stop talking so much when you can barely breathe. You'll seriously die."

"Seniors, are all of you alright?"

Everyone turned their heads towards Kuroko, who had their water bottles and towels with her.

"Here. I figured that you might need these."

"O-Oh. Thanks."

Everyone was baffled. How can she still move around with all that running they just did? Not to mention that she was usually the first to collapse after every long-distance run that they did.

"Here, Kagami-kun."

Kagami frowned at her as he took the bottle and towel, murmuring a word of thanks under his breath.

"Is something the matter, Kagami-kun?"

"No… not at all."

"Okay; let's break up into groups. We're going to have a game between ourselves," Hyuuga clapped his hands. "Koganei, Kagami, Kuroko, Furihata; you're on my team. The rest of you form another team. Got it?"

"What's with that weird match-up?"

"Coach was the one who decided it, not me. If you got any complaints, go to her."

"How are we going to do the tip-off when there's no one else to help us?"

"Why don't we just play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets the ball first?"

"Koga, you can't be serious, right?"

"At a time like this, it would be really useful to have a manager around," Hyuuga sighed. "Maybe we should ask Coach to find one. But it's hard to find a girl who loves and knows basketball as much as we do."

"If there was one, she would be playing like Kuroko, right?"

"I guess."

**XXX**

Something was definitely odd.

That was what Kagami was thinking throughout the duration of the match.

First, Kuroko's dribbling seemed to have improved. Or rather, it seemed that she was actually good at it, but was pretending to be an amateur at it.

Not to mention that her passes had a different feeling to it. Compared to the usual, the ball seemed a lot… lighter to the touch. The passes that Kuroko send feel slightly heavier, since she does use a bit of force to change the direction of the ball.

And since when did she make an effort to steal the ball? Usually she would just wait for a chance to intercept a pass, relay it and that would be all that she would do.

His thoughts were then interrupted as he felt something smack into the back of his head.

"Kagami! Stop spacing out and pay attention to the match!"

"Sorry!" He yelled back to Hyuuga, who was glaring daggers at him.

"…"

"Mitobe asks if there is anything that is bothering you."

"I'm fine! Really!"

"…"

"Mitobe says you're lying."

"I do know what he is trying to say without you having to tell me, senpai."

"What's bothering you, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asked, her head cocked to one side in curiosity.

"Kagami turned towards the girl, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Why are you glaring at me like that, Kagami-kun? You have been acting weird today."

"The one acting weird is you; not me."

"What do you mean, Kagami-kun? I am the same person you have known me to be."

"Don't test my patience, you."

"Kagami, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that his person here," He paused to point at her. "Isn't Kuroko."

"Hah...?"

"Kagami, are you really that big of an idiot? That is Kuroko!"

"Seniors, I want you to trust me. That person isn't Kuroko at all. They may look similar and use the same speech pattern, but they're completely different."

"Then who—"

"That is something I would like to know myself."

"But do you have proof, Kagami?"

"You bet I do. I will prove to you right here, right now that that isn't Kuroko," Kagami took a step forward towards the girl. "So, care to explain yourself? What are you doing disguising as Kuroko, huh?"

"Really, Kagami-kun, what are you saying? I am Kuroko Tetsuya."

Kagami scoffed.

"Enough with the pretense. You may be able to fool everyone else; but not me."

"Why do you say that?"

"I once told Kuroko this. When it comes to basketball, I can discern how strong or weak someone is by their scent."

"So? What about it?"

"Kuroko has no scent, but you… you do have one."

"Oh? How do I smell to you, then?"

Kagami gave a feral grin.

"Strong."

The fake Kuroko blinked at him for a few moments before laughing.

"That's an interesting way of telling people apart. As expected of someone she chose to be her new light."

"You know Kuroko?"

"Of course I do. Are you some kind of idiot?"

"What was that?"

"So, how would you compare my strength to the Generation of Miracles?"

"You don't smell as strong as Kise. But I can tell you still are."

The girl narrowed her eyes.

"A wise answer indeed."

"Stop beating around the bush. Who the heck are you supposed to be? Why are you posing as Kuroko? What is your purpose for doing this?"

"That's too many questions to answer."

"Hah?"

"But still; you're naïve. Did you think I'll answer all your questions obediently?"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll have to work for what you want," She tossed him the basketball she was holding. "Let's play. One-on-one. I'll give you five chances to score. For each one that you manage to get in, I'll answer one of your questions. Are you game?"

Kagami laughed at the girl's straightforward manner. It has been a while since someone dared to challenge him like that.

"Just because you're a girl doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

The girl gave him a smug grin.

"I never expected you to."

**Next chapter:**

**Just come at me**


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the late update; and THANK YOU FOR 50 FAVOURITES!

My thanks to those who have reviewed: hitomi65, Yui Kagamine, Xxdreamergirl95xX and PiWrite. My love goes out to all of you!

Let's start, shall we?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and its franchise.**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 11**

**Just come at me**

"I'm back from the meeting," Riko gave a loud, exhausted sigh. "How's training coming along— What is going on here?!"

"Ah, Coach," Hyuuga greeted on behalf of everyone else. "Welcome back."

"Don't 'Ah, Coach' me! What happened when I was out? Why is Kuroko-chan playing one-on-one with Kagami?"

"Well, it's a complicated situation. But according to Kagami, that girl isn't Kuroko. She said that if he manages to score against her, she will answer a question of his."

"What? You mean that isn't Kuroko-chan?"

"Seems like it…?"

Riko frowned, activating her scan ability.

"So? Is that really someone else?"

"Kagami-kun is right. That girl's stats are too high to be Kuroko-chan's… In fact, her stats were what I expected Kuroko-chan's to be."

"Is she one of the Generation of Miracles, then?"

"No, she's not. Her stats are nowhere comparable to Kise's. However, I can tell that she is… or was, a player of a national level school. Not to mention that she is a few centimetres shorter than our cute little Kuroko-chan."

"Hey, they're starting."

"Kagami's got the advantage!"

"You look confident," Kagami stated, the ball in his possession.

"I could say the same to you."

"This will be too easy!" Kagami broke past her, fully utilizing their difference in height to his advantage.

"Wha—" The girl managed to catch to him, waiting for an opportunity to claim the ball, but that chance never came.

Kagami dashed past her, sending the ball quickly through the hoop with a fierce dunk.

"How do you like that?"

"Nicely played, if I must say so myself. However, you will not get past me a second time."

"We'll see about that!"

"Oh! Kagami's going for it again!"

"No you don't!"

Kagami was stunned, stopping in his tracks as the ball was pushed out of his grasp.

"A back-tip?"

"Just like the one Kuroko did during the Kaijou match…"

"It's mine now!" The girl managed to grab the ball before Kagami could react.

She made off with the ball, dribbling it quickly as she ran towards the basket.

"As if I'll let you…!"

Kagami ran after her, but just as he was about to catch up, she jumped, making a shot.

"S-She beat Kagami?!"

"Never mind that; did you see how fast she was?"

"You haven't seen anything yet."

Everyone turned around to see the teal-haired girl standing behind them.

"K-Kuroko!"

"The real one!"

"When did you get here?"

"I came in when they first started."

"That aside, who is that girl, Kuroko? Why is she impersonating as you?"

"She is someone who I have known for a very long time. However, I do not know her reasons. If I had to guess, she probably wanted to test you all."

"Test us? Why? What for?"

"I don't know. However, she's the kind of person who tends to take extremes when it comes to doing certain things."

"Kuroko-chan, you mentioned something about her earlier, didn't you? What did you mean by we 'haven't seen anything yet'?"

"Does she have some sort of special ability?"

"I won't call it a… special ability. It's just that she had supposedly retired from basketball half a year ago. She's probably running at half-power at most now."

"Retired? Did she have some sort of injury?"

Tetsuya bit her lip, not giving any indication that she was going to reply that question.

"She just scored another one against Kagami," Hyuuga muttered in surprise, keeping track of both their scores.

"You're not half bad," Kagami growled in acknowledgement when the girl managed to score another basket.

Only two more tries left.

"Why, thank you."

"I wasn't praising you."

"It's your ball again."

"I know!" The red-head grit his teeth, dribbling the ball in his right hand.

Truth to be told, Kagami was in a bind right now. If he hesitates, even for a single moment, she would steal the ball from him in no time. She already did it twice: the first with a back-tip and the second with a normal block just as he was about to shoot.

How did she even manage to out-jump him despite their obvious height difference?

He had another trick up his sleeve, but will it work?

"What's wrong? Can't get think of how to pass by me?"

Kagami clicked this tongue, indicating that she had hit the nail on the head.

"Well, don't think so much. Just come at me."

"Easier said than done!"

"Why don't you just try? Life is all about taking risks, after all. If you're all talk and no action, Taiga will just be a paper tiger, don't you agree?"

"That's a good one!"

"Izuki, enough of your jokes."

"A paper… Are you mocking me, oi? And who ever said you could address me by my first name?"

Kagami passed the ball between both hands, looking for an opportunity to pass her. When he had tried to do so the previous times, it had all been on her left…

"Kagami's trying a fake! Ah, but she isn't falling for it!"

"She going to score again! That's quick!"

Kagami growled.

How many times was she going to do the same thing over and over again…?

"As if I'll let you!"

Kagami rushed forward, jumping and reaching his hand out.

He managed to push the ball away, changing its direction and sending it out of the court.

"Looks like you're picking up the pace."

"I'm not going to let you win this so easily!"

The girl smiled.

"I admire your enthusiasm, but it's not enough for you to beat me," The girl gave a little sigh as she dribbled the ball in her right hand. "It's not like I usually do this in an official match, but since it's one-on-one… let's do it, then."

"Hah?"

"Keep your eyes peeled."

The look in her eyes has changed, Kagami noted. For the past few minutes her gaze had been watchful, as if she were analysing his moves. But now, it was still; as if she was in deep concentration, focusing on only one thing.

Kagami swallowed a mouth of saliva as he anticipated her next move. Something told him that something was going to happen, but what…?

"Softly, gently…"

In one quick motion, she managed to bounce the ball on the ground in between his legs, sending it towards her left.

"What?" Kagami gasped.

Why did she…?

"Just like a dance…"

Just as Kagami was in the midst of turning around, she caught the ball and was running towards the basket again.

When did she run past him without him noticing…?

And was that a song she was singing?

"I'm not letting you pass!" Kagami managed to catch up to her, blocking the path ahead of her.

"Oh! Kagami made it!"

"But that's not enough to stop her," Kuroko noted. "She's not decelerating."

The girl smirked as she saw the determination in his eyes.

She liked that look; but determination alone would not be able to stop her advance.

"To conceal it with petals…"

Just as she approached him, she threw the ball upwards behind her back. It flew upwards in a high arc over both their heads.

Taking opportunity of his distraction, she ran past him, ducking under his wide-stretched arms. Once she passed him, she jumped upwards, catching the ball as it fell.

"Of a light crimson colour…"

Before her feet landed on the ground, she shot the ball.

"To dye this little flower path."

She smirked as the ball made it through the net.

"She… just… what?"

"W-W-What was that?"

"That was amazing!"

"What did you just do?" Kagami glared down at her, who was still smiling at him. "What was that shot?"

"This was something I learnt by watching people play street-ball. Actually, one of the members of the Generation of Miracles happened to have picked up basketball from playing street-ball. This was something I came up with after my retirement from Middle School Basketball. Of course, it has too many unnecessary movements, so there's no way I can use it in an official match, not like I would get a chance to. The singing was just a way for me to gage the timing for the whole thing. But," She pointed a finger at Kagami. "If you're going to get caught up by a whole bunch of fancy movements, it's no good."

"I-I know!"

"Anyway, since you managed to score one against me, I'll answer your first question."

Reaching up, she pulled off the wig she was wearing, removing her hair underneath from the pins that restrained them. She shook her head, loosening her black locks.

Riko recognized her almost immediately.

"Ah! It's that girl from yesterday!"

"Coach! She was at Kaijou on Saturday as well!"

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Furihata-kun?"

"She was the one who gave me the bandages on Saturday when Kuroko needed them!"

"So… that means the watched the entire match?"

"No wonder she knew about the buzzer beater," Hyuuga muttered under his breath.

"Everyone from the basketball club, pleased to meet you," The girl gave a bow. "My name is Fujimiya Kikumi, Class 1-C, Seat number 16."

"Are you from Teikou as well?" Koganei asked, curiously.

"No, I'm not. I attended Middle School in the Saitama Prefecture, but moved back to Tokyo half about year ago. I'm actually Kuroko Tetsuya-chan's childhood friend!"

"Kuroko's childhood friend? That sounds like something from an anime."

"Too much television again, Izuki?"

"You are Coach, Aida Riko-senpai, am I right?"

"Just Riko is fine. How did you know my name?"

"I have a message for you from an acquaintance of mine," Kikumi retrieved a folded note from the pocket of her shorts. "Here you go!"

"Oh… Thank you."

"Kikumi-san," Her childhood friend spoke up, looking more than a little annoyed. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah! Tetchan!" Kikumi latched herself onto Tetsuya in a hug. "So nice of you to come and watch!"

"You are not supposed to be here. What were you thinking?" Kuroko chided her, before turning around to her seniors. "I apologize for what she has done. If you don't mind, I need to talk to her in private."

"O-Oh," Hyuuga mouthed in acknowledgement, as he and the rest watched the teal-haired girl drag the other towards the locker room.

"Tetchan, don't pull me so roughly! It hurts!"

"What… was that all about?" Koganei asked when both girls were out of sight.

"Beats me."

"What's that note about?" Izuki asked curiously.

"Let's see… 'Please let this kid join the team, whether it is as a manager or a player. Thanks!', it says."

"Let me see that," Hyuuga took a peep at the note and grimaced.

"What is it, Hyuuga?"

"This hand-writing… That guy is up to something again."

**XXX**

"Tetchan! What was that for?"

"Enough with the innocent girl act, Kikumi-san. What exactly are you planning?"

"Me? Planning something? Why would I?"

"Kikumi-san. I know you well enough to know that you have something up your sleeves. I should have figured that something was up when you left me that note yesterday."

"Well, that shows how much you trust me!"

"I should reconsider that, though. Getting back on the topic, I have some questions for you, and you're going to answer them."

"… Very well."

"Who told you to come to Seirin?"

"That again? I swore you asked me that on the first day of school and I told you that I wasn't planning on telling you."

"Did Akashi-kun send you here?"

"What? Of course not! It is true that I chose to come to Seirin on a certain person's recommendation, but it wasn't that monkey. In fact, he didn't know that I was attending High School here until the day before Ryou-chan came to visit."

"Who is it, then, who had recommended you to come here?"

"You'll know in time."

"Fine. The next question I have is regarding today. Why did you pose as me?"

"Well, this was actually a favour from the monkey."

"I would have guessed. And you came up with such an elaborate plan, too. Then again, that is just like you."

"I hear sarcasm in that tone of yours."

"So what are your plans? Are you going to join the basketball team?"

"I don't mind, actually."

"But will you play?"

"Most likely not. I was told not to."

"By who? I thought you rehabilitation was already—"

"It wasn't the doctor. You could say it was a promise I had made to someone, Actually, now that I think about it, it was more like a condition to an agreement than a promise."

"But you played against Kagami-kun earlier."

"That was an exception. But from what I have seen so far, and tested out for myself, I can tell why you have chosen him as your light. He reminds me of how you used to describe that guy in your mails back then in our first year of Middle School."

Kuroko flinched.

"Say, Tetchan…"

"I know what you are going to say. I know what I'm doing."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I don't want to see you cry again… Especially if it's over a guy."

"Can we not talk about that again?"

"Tetchan, I know that he has been walking you home after practice every day. I can see the two of you from my bedroom window. Not to mention how chummy the two of you have been getting."

"Chummy? We are not—"

"You're the only one who hasn't noticed it, Tetchan. I know you would deny this, but you're treating Kagami the same way you do to him."

"Is that so?"

"That is how it seems to me. I don't know the specifics of what happened between the two of you in Middle School, but surely you are not seeing Kagami as a replacement for him?"

"I'm not. Kagami-kun is nothing like him."

"You are sure about that, are you?"

"Yes."

"That's good to hear. But you don't have any… special feelings for him, do you?"

"To be honest, I'm not certain about that."

"Hah?"

"To me, Kagami-kun is my partner. In that sense, he's special. But in the aspect that you are implying… As long as he is my light and I am his shadow, I have no plans to fall in love with him."

"Are you sure about that?"

"… I am."

**XXX**

"Ah, they're back," Koganei noted as he spotted the two girls approaching the team.

"I apologize for my inconsiderate actions earlier!" Kikumi bowed in apology to everyone who was present. "I have caused you unnecessary trouble!"

"Ah, it's okay. Please raise your head, Fujimiya-san."

"Thank you, Captain!"

"Whoa, wait. Why are you calling me Captain? Just 'senpai' is fine."

"Eh? But's that because I'm going to join the club."

"Hahh…"

"Really?" Koganei's eyes sparkled. "That's great news!"

"At least you won't be the only female member, right, Kuroko?" Izuki smiled.

"Hey, what about me?"

"Coach is our coach. You're not just any ordinary member."

"Nicely said, Hyuuga."

"Hold on a minute. Why is everyone agreeing to this?"

"Well, why not?"

"Got a problem with me joining the team, Kagamin?"

"Ka-Kagamin?!"

"Okay, it's decided! Fujimiya-chan is now a member of our basketball team!"

"Yay!"

"I hope we get along, everyone!"

"Of all people…" Kagami sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead.

Kuroko gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Hang in there, Kagami-kun."

* * *

**Original Character Profile:** Fujimiya Kikumi [藤宮 菊美]

**Height:** 1.58 cm

**Weight:** about 48.5 kg (BMI is about 19.5)

**Position:** Manager, Point Guard (Jersey number 16)

**Family:** Father (Kei), Mother (Ichiru), Older twin brother (Satoru), Younger brother (Ayumu)

**Birthday:** January 19th (Capricorn)

**Author's notes:** Kikumi is a very confident person. In a sense, her personality is like a mix between Akashi and Kise. She enjoys teasing people, but knows when to stop before it goes too far. She is quick to annoyance, but slow to anger. Oh; mention her height and she'll send you flying. Quite literally. She is also known to be very rebellious. She often goes against her grandfather's wishes and doesn't like the fact that he plans to dictate her life (Note: She is from the branch family of the Fujimiya Zaibatsu. Her father is the second son, but was disowned.)

She enjoys playing DanceDanceResolution (parody of DanceDanceRevolution) at arcades and loves to dance (which makes her very quick on her feet in basketball). She and Akashi have a long hate-friend-hate relationship since they were young. She refers to him as a 'monkey' and he would call her a 'weasel' in return. However, they get along very well despite their disagreements. She gets along very well with Kise and surprisingly Midorima. Loves flowers with a passion.

* * *

Okay, some news before we end this chapter. Parallel: From the Beginning will be taking a break until next year.

Reason being is that I want to complete several of my half-written one-shots (and hopefully a Christmas Special) and also I have a lot of school work that is due the first week of January. Not to mention that I'll be overseas for a while.

Oh, and the song that was 'sung' by Kikumi is "Hana Ranman-Flowers-" (華爛漫 -Flowers-) by TЁЯRA. Those who have played DDR or reflec beat might have heard it before. I love that song, a lot.

I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter!

See you next year!

Cheers,  
Dreams of the Future

**Next chapter:**

**The Transfer Student from Senegal**


	12. Chapter 12

THANK YOU FOR 50 REVIEWS!

AND WE'RE BACK FROM OUR END-OF-YEAR BREAK!

My thanks always goes out to those who review: hitomi65, MiraclesVeemon, Yui Kagamine, Infinite Skye and BrokenBlackCat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and its franchise.**

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 12**

**The Transfer Student from Senegal**

"So this is Shinkyou High School… It's rather quiet and peaceful here, isn't it?"

Everyone watched as two girls in a different school uniform made their way through the compound of Shinkyou High School, located in one of the quieter areas in the busy city.

"Sorry to have you accompany me today, Kikumi-chan; especially when you've just joined us."

"It's fine! Scouting is one of my jobs as a manager. Will the rest of the team be fine on their own?"

"They'll be okay. They know better than to slack on practice."

"But is it alright for me to skip out on it? I mean, I did agree to be a reserve player in addition to being a manager. The least I should do is practice alongside them."

"It's fine. We didn't have a manager before you joined us, so they should be able to survive on their own."

"I wonder how Shinkyou will fare against us… Are they strong?"

"Well, we have never played against them before, but from my research, they are quite decent in basketball. If I had to gage their level, I'd say they're in the middle: They aren't as strong as schools such as Kaijou, but they're not weak either. It won't hurt to check them out, though."

"Hey, Coach… That player…" Kikumi tugged onto the older girl's sleeve, directing her attention to a certain player who had just walked into the gymnasium. "Isn't this going to be bad for us?"

"You're right… But they're completely different from last year when we watched their match."

"Even though biggest challenge is Shuutoku, where Midorima Makoto-chan is attending now; we'll lose our first match if we can't handle this problem. What shall we do, Coach?"

"We'll think of something. Come, let's get back to Seirin. Did you make the copies of the preliminary bracket like I had asked you to?"

"I did. I couldn't find Hyuuga-senpai before I left, so I passed them to Fukuda-kun instead."

"That's good. I already told Hyuuga-kun to brief them about the preliminaries, so they should be informed by the time we get back."

"I trust you have a plan in mind?"

"Well, something like that."

**XXX**

"We're back," Riko sighed, looking a little frustrated.

"Speaking of the devil…"

"Tetchan! I missed you!" Kikumi ran ahead to hug the teal-haired girl."How was practice? Was it hard? Shall I give you a massage later?"

"Oi! Why do you have to keep clinging onto her?"

"Got a problem with that, Kagamin?"

"K-Kagamin?! Don't force nicknames onto people!"

"But why? It's cute!"

"Kikumi-san, can you let go of me? You're suffocating me."

"She was skipping during the time we had to play against Kaijou, but she's not doing it now."

"Coach, you're not skipping this time?" Furihata asked, curiously.

"Like I will!"

"I-I'm sorry I asked!"

"Moron," Hyuuga scolded. "She won't do anything silly like skipping if it's an official match. But you do seem rather bothered. So did it go?"

"You'll be in for a surprise," Kikumi commented with a sigh.

"Huh?"

"We shouldn't be worrying about facing Shuutoku… when our first match isn't going to be looking good."

Almost everyone let out a gasp of surprise.

"What… do you mean?"

"Let's just say… one of their players is going to give us quite a bit of trouble."

"We'll watch the video later. Take a look at this, first."

Riko handed her cellphone to Hyuuga, who looked at the picture that was now displayed on the screen. Everyone else had gathered round to catch a glimpse of it.

"T-This is…!"

It was a picture of a kitten.

Not to mention that it was a super adorable one, too.

"C-Cute, but…"

"Ah, sorry about that. It's the next picture."

"Kuroko, did you just squeal?"

"It's your imagination, Kagami-kun."

Everyone gasped again as they were faced with a picture of a tanned foreigner wearing the Shinkyou jersey.

"W-What is this?"

"His name is Papa Mbaye Siki. Two meters tall and weighs 87 kg. A transfer student from Senegal."

"Senegal? He's huge! T-Two meters?"

"He's a giant!"

"Are they allowed to do that? I mean, bringing foreign students…"

"I'm sorry, but… where is Senegal, anyway?"

"It's a place in Africa, if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh."

"He's just big," Kagami stated nonchalantly, a contrast to the rest of his team.

Even Tetsuya looked slightly worried.

"This Papa Mbaye… what was it again?"

"Papanpa?"

"It's Papa Try-Hard, isn't it?"

"Koga, that guess of yours is way off."

"Papa?" Izuki looked as if he had suddenly gotten a burst of inspiration, whipping his notebook from out of nowhere. "Papaya Ito…"

Riko sighed, folding her arms.

"This is not going to get anywhere. Kuroko-chan, please come up with a nickname for him."

"How about 'Dad', then?"

"What's with that a terrible naming sense?"

"As expected of my Tetchan!"

"That wasn't a compliment, Kikumi-san."

"Dad? Dad's company is a dud…"

"Oh! Nice one, Izuki-senpai!"

"Thanks!"

"So, for this Dad-person, we'll have to…"

"I thought it was lame."

"But you're laughing too!"

"Listen!" Riko yelled, commanding attention.

Everyone stiffened, holding in their laughter with straight faces.

"He's not just tall, you know. His arms and legs are long as well. To summarize, everything about him is big. It's not just Shinkyou, but more and more schools are inviting foreign students to study just to increase their power. Even though they were a middle-tier school last year, the addition of this one foreign player made them a completely different team now. And it is only because no one can reach him, they can't stop him."

"But we can't just do sit around and do nothing!"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Kagamin! Seriously, this is why you're such an idiot."

"Did you just insult me?"

"Listen up! Kuroko-chan and Kagami-kun; I'll put the two of you on your own special programmes from tomorrow onwards."

"Yes madam!"

"I understand."

"The preliminaries start on the 16th of May! We only have about three weeks to train for this. It may seem like a lot of time, but in reality, it's not. Be prepared to be driven hard till' you're half dead!"

"E-EH?!"

"What was that?"

"Y-Yes, madam!"

**XXX**

"What… is the meaning of this?"

Kagami's eyelid was twitching.

"My, my; have you gone deaf, Kagamin? I said that we were going to work on how to handle Dad; and that I'm supervising your training."

"I did hear it the first time! Do you always have to insult me?"

"But it's fun to, since you always react to it in such an amusing way."

"You little—"

"Anyway, you will be working with Mitobe-senpai here. According to the Coach, he's the best in defense that you can find around here. Why, you could call him a veteran in the field."

"Uh huh… So?"

"So, you'll be practicing with Mitobe-sensei every day until the start of the preliminaries. You will learn first-hand how to stop a player that is bigger than yourself. Coach's words exactly."

"Bigger?" The red-head frowned, looking confused.

"Listen; here's some advice that comes from someone who happens to be the shortest person on the court—"

"You are referring to yourself, right?"

"Don't interrupt me. Did you know that blocking is not the only way you can stop someone from shooting?"

"It's not?"

"Let me tell you a smarter way that is a lot more fun: you can make them miss. Not only does it make them pissed off, it drops the team morale, too."

"You… You're such a sadist."

"Is that so?"

"…"

The senior looked as if he was trying to tell Kagami something.

"Mitobe-senpai says that it's not something that is easy to explain, so why don't you start by playing one-on-one with him? The best way of learning is through experience."

"Got it."

"Here you go," Kikumi tossed him a ball. "Senpai, are you ready?"

"…" Mitobe gave a nod.

"Let's start, then. Begin at your own pace, Kagamin!"

"I don't need you to tell me that!"

Kagami held the ball in both hands, with Mitobe behind him.

It may seem like a normal one-on-one match, but it wasn't as easy as it seemed.

Kagami moved his foot, trying to make a break for it. However, he couldn't.

"I can't get past…!"

Kagami gritted his teeth, annoyed at how tight his senior's defense was.

He wasn't going to let him get to the inside at all; not to mention that his frustration was already building up.

There was no choice but to just shoot from where he was. Even though his current distance is not what he's usually comfortable with… there was nothing else he can do right now!

Turning around quickly, Kagami jumped and shot the ball, which bounced off the rim of the hoop.

"I… missed? From this distance?" Kagami gasped.

He exchanged a look with Mitobe, who did not seem to be 'saying' anything in return. The senior picked up the ball and tossed it back to him.

"Well, have you figured it out yet? Or are you utterly shocked at how much you actually suck?"

"Do you have a grudge against me or something?"

"Well, I guess you could say that I hate guys like you. That aside, has anything got into that brain of yours yet?"

"Not yet! But I'll get it… eventually."

"We don't have all the time in the world, you know. Hmm… but it is a bit too much to expect you to understand with just one try. Shall we give it another try?"

"Fine by me!"

"…"

"Give it your all, Kagamin! We're rooting for you!"

**XXX**

After three weeks of relentless training, it was finally the 16th of May.

Everyone was up bright and early, looking as if they were about to fight a war. The only exception was Kagami, whose eyes were bloodshot again.

"Kagami-kun, you could not sleep again?"

"Shut up."

"Kagamin is just like a little kid! That's so cute!"

"You shut up too!"

"By the way, Kagami-kun, do you have time after this match?"

"I do, actually. Why do you ask?"

"My, Tetchan; you're asking Kagamin out? How bold of you!"

"Hah?"

"That's not it, Kikumi-san."

"Oi! If you have so much time to gossip, how about warming up, huh? Think we have so much time on our hands?"

"Sorry, Captain!"

"Coach! We have all the water bottles and towels ready!"

"Thank you; Kikumi-san, Furihata-kun, Kawahara-kun and Fukuda-kun! Why don't you go warm up with the rest?"

"Yes madam!"

"By the way," Hyuuga noted after examining the Shinkyou team. "Dad doesn't seem to be here."

"Now that you mention it, you're right."

It was then a loud bang from the entrance of the gymnasium caught their attention, followed by the sound of someone grumbling in pain.

Their eyes widened to spot the dark-skinned foreigner, who had his forehead collided into the wall above the door.

"Everything's so short in Japan," He complained, holding his sore head as he walked over to his team.

"H-He's huge!" Izuki mumbled under his breath "And kind of… long?"

"What are you doing?" Scolded Shinkyou's Coach. "Step on it already!"

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

"Why is that sentence the only thing you can say fluently?" Tanimura Yuuka, the Captain of Shikyou, snorted before she felt something tap the back of her foot.

"Oh! Sorry about that!" Hyuuga apologized as he ran over to retrieve the ball that had rolled away.

"Speaking of which," The girl turned around, placing a hand on her hip. "Did you guys really defeat Kaijou?"

"Well, it was just a practice game…"

"Seriously? I guess the Generation of Miracles aren't such big a deal as we thought they would be."

Hyuuga frowned at the smug comment.

"The Generation of Miracles lost?" Papa mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. "Even though they brought me here to beat them… I'm disappointed that they're so weak."

He turned to walk towards the changing room, only to bump into someone as he was near a glaring Kagami.

"Eh?"

He looked around, wondering who was the person he had bumped into.

When he looked down, he was surprised to see a girl with light-blue hair and eyes looking up at him with an unreadable expression.

He lifted her up, staring straight into her eyes.

"That's no good, little one. Children aren't supposed to be on the court."

"Tetchan!"

"Oi! Don't go about touching her so freely, you!" Kagami started to glare daggers at him, but was ignored.

"Papa! What are you doing?" His captain yelled from a distance behind him when she realized what was going on. "She's a player!"

He put her down, feeling a little embarrassed that he felt something that he shouldn't have. He shook it off quickly, snorting as he walked away.

"They lost to a team with a little girl like her? Are all the Generation of Miracles actually children?"

The Seirin team tried their best to muffle their laughter.

"You have a girl on your team too, you know," Izuki stated between giggles.

Kagami, unable to control himself, was practically pounding on the floor as he started to let out little sniggers that did not go unheard.

"Tetchan!" Kikumi ran over to her childhood friend. "Are you alright? Did he touch you anywhere he shouldn't? I'll sue him for sexual harassment!"

"He didn't. But to be frank, I'm starting to get annoyed."

With this statement, no one dared to let out another chuckle. Well, except Kagami.

"You have a side that doesn't like to lose too, huh?"

"Everyone!" Riko called out. "There's another five minutes until the match starts! Finish with your warm ups and get ready!"

"Let's show good ol' Dad why he shouldn't piss off kids, shall we?"

* * *

**Q&A TIME!**

(Note: This is a new segment to answer all your burning questions!)

Question by Muri (anonymous): What kind of _dere_ is Kikumi-chan?

Answer: If Midorima is _Tsundere_ and Kuroko is _Dandere_, then Kikumi is _Himedere_. Suzumiya Haruhi is the closest character comparison I can make. (But if you ask me, Haruhi is _kamidere_.)

* * *

I'm rethinking about whether I should really write as much as I do. Because I just got 20/40 for an exam (which never happened to me) and I'm in a bit of a shock. I really want to get to university; but with my results now, I think even getting my diploma is a challenge...

And thanks to my work load, I'm not sure if I even have enough time in a week for this...

I need to go for my next lesson soon, so see you next week!

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next chapter:**

**Let me tell you two things**


	13. Chapter 13

For some reason, I thought I was the only one in my family who wouldn't get the stomach flu. Looks like I was wrong, though. My tummy feels like its on a riot.

My thanks to **BrokenBlackCat**, **Xxdreamergirl95xX**, **hitomi65** and **Yui Kagamine** for reviewing the previous chapter!

Just a note, the next chapter of Parallel FTB will be out on the 13/14th of January and the following chapter later in the same week. After that, I'm calling it a break until end of February so I can focus on my mountain of schoolwork. And if I have the time, I might do something short for Kuroko's birthday.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and its franchise...

* * *

Guide:

"_Sample text_" - Kagami speaking English.

For those who had forgotten the difference between my usage of **XXX** and **-x-**, refer to the Kaijou practice match.

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning  
**

**Chapter 13  
**

**Let me tell you two things**

"Let the match between Seirin High School and Shinkyou High School begin!"

"Let's have a good match!"

**-x-**

"It's starting," Kikumi sighed under her breath, clipboard in hand.

"Somehow, I'm feeling really nervous," Furihata, who was seated next to her, mumbled under his breath.

"You're not even on the court, yet you're nervous?" Riko gave him a glare through narrowed eyes.

"I'm sorry!"

"You don't have to be," Kikumi gave him a pat on the shoulder "I'm nervous too, but more worried than anything else."

"Well, we did what we could," Riko directed her attention to the center of the court, where the players were preparing for the tip-off. "Let's see how much of a chance Dad stands against us."

**-x-**

The blow of the whistle signaled the tip-off; and Shinkyou easily managed to get the ball in their possession.

"Kagami lost to that guy in height?" Hyuuga muttered under his breath.

Tanimura, upon catching the ball, passed it to Papa, who was already near the basket.

Kagami was ready to block him, but his efforts were futile.

"A jump-shot without a fake?" Kagami growled under his breath. "This guy… is he underestimating me?"

**-x-**

"Oh dear. Kagamin looks mad."

"Just how hot-headed can he get?" Koganei muttered, watching grimly as Shinkyou scored their first basket.

"Well, I won't blame him for getting angry," Kikumi muttered as she scribbled something onto her clipboard. "I know how it feels, too; to have someone score over your head just because they're waaaaaaaaaaaaaay taller than you are."

Every male on the bench sweat-dropped, not knowing what to say in reply to her statement.

"Well," Riko folded her arms. "Let's just hope he doesn't forget to use what he learnt with Mitobe-kun."

**-x-**

"Too easy!" Papa snickered as he ran back to his position..

"Don't mind about that!" Hyuuga called, passing the ball to Izuki. "Let's get them back!"

Izuki ran with the ball, passing it quickly to Mitobe, who in turn passed it to Hyuuga.

"It's free!" Hyuuga smirked, shooting the ball. "I got this!"

Much to everyone's surprise, the tall transfer student leapt up, catching it while it was still in mid-air.

**-x-**

"As expected, this is ridiculous," Furihata mumbled to Kawahara. "Looks like this really isn't going to be easy."

"But it isn't fair, isn't it; having a foreign student in their team."

"Hey. Don't be so rude," Riko and Kikumi scolded at the same time.

"I'll have you apologize to them later," The former added with a glare. "After that, I'll teach you something called manners."

"I-I'm sorry!"

**-x-**

Tanimura scoffed at Kawahara's comment, of which she had overheard.

"Seirin is one of those teams that work darn hard, right?" She spoke to Hyuuga, who happened to be behind her.

"Huh?"

"We see a lot of teams, you know; saying that it isn't fair having a foreign player on our team. It's not like we're breaking any rules."

"Well, it is true that you can have up to two of them on your team."

"Isn't that right? Is there a problem with a team getting strong players? It makes things easier for all of us: all we have to do is pass the ball to him and we'll score. It's not like it's something in our control, per se."

"Well, I don't know how easy it is. But if that is your policy, then you better not complain."

"Hah?"

"We have some of our own players too; if we're referring to the ridiculous ones. We didn't have to invite them to come to us, though."

"What? I don't exactly get what you mean by that, but…" She continued, examining Hyuuga carefully. "You're in your second year, right?"

"So what if I am?"

"Now that I notice, you're actually rather cute. Just my type. It's a pity that you're younger than me, though."

She dismissed him with a wave of her hand, running back into position.

"H-H-Hah?" Hyuuga's eyelid was twitching.

Did that girl just…?

**-x-**

Back at the Seirin bench, Riko was on fire.

Well, not literally, but one could see that she was fuming mad.

"That bitch… just because she's older, taller, prettier, has a C-cup sized chest… Quite the nerve she has, flirting with our precious Captain during the match. If those guys out there don't beat up that team… Hmm, what should I do, then…"

"C-Coach is going ballistic!" The freshmen-trio almost screamed in fright as they watched the older girl chuckle menacingly.

"Wow," Kikumi whistled. "I guess this is what they call a woman's jealousy?"

"You're a woman, too!"

"Hey, check out Kagami!" Tsuchida's call brought everyone's attention to the red-head, who had his arms raised in defense.

"Isn't that what Mitobe-senpai usually does?"

"He's not letting Dad make any moves! He's got him in a bind!"

"What pressure, too!"

"Ah! Dad's going to shoot!"

"Don't worry; that shot won't go in," Kikumi murmured as she watched with an amused smirk.

"S-She's right! It didn't go in!"

"But how…"

"Looks like that idiot's starting to put his training to good use; and about time too."

"You mean… this was part of his special training programme?"

"Yup! Took him long enough to realize, though."

"Hey! Dad missed another shot!"

"Get the rebound!"

"Nice one, Mitobe!"

"Anyway, as long as Kagamin's on his mark, it won't be so easy for Dad to score."

"Huh? But why?"

"That is simple. That's because Kagami-kun is not letting Dad make his plays."

"Coach! You're back to normal!"

"What do you mean by 'plays', Coach?"

"Even though it's almost impossible for him to reach, there is still one way of preventing him from scoring: Mitobe-kun's way."

"We spent the last three weeks on that. He's able to do it rather decently now; not that it's his cup of tea."

"But why isn't he able to score?"

"The basics of Mitobe-kun's style is to restrict the opponent's movements. By not letting him do what he wants to, not letting him go where he wants to; he will be pressured to come out of his comfort zone. This way, he can't shoot as easily or as comfortable as he usually would."

"Not to mention that it affects their morale, too. Look: he's been missing every shot he made for the past two minutes or so—"

"He can't make any shots," One of the spectators scoffed loudly, interrupting Kikumi. "This foreigner's not such a big deal after all."

"Saying things like that… that's too much," Tsuchida shook his head in disapproval.

"Tsucchi-senpai is right. The court is not for the weak-hearted; there's always tons of pressure weighing us down."

"I-I guess that's true," Furihata paled in horror, imagining himself having to play on the court.

"And what's even better is that Kagamin's there. That guy has a glare so intense and so focused it can kill. It was the same when he played one-on-one with me. It's scary to most people, but it's a good look."

Kikumi paused, watching as Kagami jumped again in an attempt to block a shot. She frowned, as if she had noticed something odd.

"Kikumi-chan?" Riko asked, noting her change in expression. "What is it?"

"It's nothing… I hope."

**-x-**

"What the hell is this?" Papa complained, wiping the sweat off his chin. "I'm pissed!"

"Don't let it get to you," Tanimura gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. "I'm not sure what he's trying, but he's definitely not blocking you."

"Hey, this method is not sitting well with me either, you know," Kagami muttered under his breath, one eyelid twitching. "Just preventing him from scoring is not enough. I got to take him down more directly: I'm going to do it my way!"

"But you've done well. Keep up the good work."

"Gah!" Kagami turned to his left. "K-Kuroko! Don't scare me like that!"

"You better get into position. Otherwise, you'll let him score."

"I know!"

"And don't be too rash."

"Whoever said I was?" Kagami rushed back into position, taking several quick steps backwards as he stood by his opponent's side. "_Hey_, since I'm such a nice guy, let me tell you two things."

"Hah?" Papa narrowed his eyes, already annoyed from not being able to score earlier.

"First, I'll block one of your shots in this game. You can count on that."

"That will not be possible. I refuse to lose to a team with a child on it."

"And the next thing is…" Kagami turned around to run towards the next, leaving his opponent unguarded.

Izuki passed the ball towards the red-head's direction, which seemed like the stupidest move in the world… until a teal-haired girl appeared out of nowhere.

Tetsuya quickly tapped the ball, sending it towards Kagami. He caught the ball and jumped, sending it into the net with a powerful dunk.

"… This kid here may give you quite a bit of trouble!"

"Would you stop referring to me as a child?" Tetsuya narrowed her eyes at him. "I do not appreciate it one bit."

**-x-**

"Oh, nice steal; Kuroko!"

"And Kagami just had to dunk it in again."

"He's been doing nothing but dunks today."

"Relax; it's only the first quarter. But doesn't Kuroko-chan seem… kind of mad?"

"Must be Kagamin's fault. He's the one who kept referring to her a child. By the way, I was the one who taught her how to steal; in exchange for learning how to pass more effectively."

"Really?"

"Did she teach you misdirection as well?"

"I tried asking her, but she refused."

**-x-**

"Nice one, Kuroko; Kagami."

"Thank you, Captain."

"It's not over yet! There's more than where that came from!"

"By the way, Kuroko; are you really that bothered about being called a kid?"

"To be truthful, yes; I am."

"Other than that, it must be what Dad said earlier," Izuki added.

"About the Generation of Miracles being weak?"

"Yeah. It's like her way of telling him not to talk so casually until he plays against them."

"I second that. The match against Kaijou really took a lot out of me."

"But perhaps it's not just that. I'm pretty sure it's... how do I describe it... Like some attachment that she feels towards her old team, I guess?"

"Maybe you're right."

The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the first quarter.

Seirin was leading by fifteen points.

"Good work, everyone! Here: your water bottles and towels! Make sure you replenish your fluids!"

"Thanks, Kikumi-chan."

"Tetchan! Good work as usual! You were spectacular!"

"Kikumi-san, I would appreciate it if you would not hug me now."

"Listen up, you all," Riko knelt down, beginning her briefing. "Good work so far. However, I'll be benching you now, Kuroko-chan. Since you have a time-limit, it would be best to reserve your strength now."

"I understand."

"We may lose some power from here on, but don't let them close the point gap. It's good if you can maintain it; but even better if you could make it even wider. Dad is the only player that we really have to look out for, so it all comes down to how Kagami-kun will and can handle him."

"Just leave it to me."

"Don't screw up, Kagamin!"

"You again? Stop putting unnecessary pressure on me, oi!"

"You better be careful; Kagami-kun."

"Kuroko… you too?"

**XXX**

The buzzer sounded again, and it was time for the second quarter to start.

"Oh? Seirin benched her. Well, that's not surprising, seeing how she still isn't able to last through the whole game," Someone from the audience muttered to himself, jotting notes down on a clipboard as he ignored the stares of the girls in his vincity.

"Hey, isn't that guy there cute?" One girl nudged her friend, pointing towards the boy that was seated about half a row away from her.

"His hair looks so silky! But the colour… do people usually have pink hair?"

"I wonder if it's natural."

"It looks too nice for it to be dyed!"

"But he seems to be murmuring something to himself… maybe he's a coach or something?"

"No way! He's wearing a high school uniform under that green parka of his."

"But there are some teams with student coaches, right? Like that school, Seirin, down there?"

The boy paused in his writing to look over to the girls, who felt their heart skip a beat when his gaze connected with theirs. He gave them a quick wink before continuing with whatever he had been doing.

"D-Did he just…"

"H-He did! He winked at us!"

"His eyes are pink too!"

"They're so pretty!"

"And he's a guy to boot!"

"I'm kinda jealous!"

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend…"

"I bet he has one! Good-looking guys like that are usually the ones who are taken!"

The boy sighed, ignoring the two girls.

He spotted a head of dark green-hair in the corner of his eye and smiled. To think that she had come to watch the match, too… Oh, he had to get back to his data-collecting.

"That brutish-looking guy with red-hair… Kagami Taiga, was it? A transfer student from America… looks like he's as good as Ki-chan said he was. That guy from Senegal is good too… but I would say that he's no match for that Kagami."

He twirled his pen in his right hand.

"It'll be interesting to see how far her new light can go. But no matter how strong he is now, he is still no match for the rest of us… The Generation of Miracles, that is. But my only concern is that," He glanced towards the dark-haired girl who was seated on the bench. "She's in Seirin, too. How… unexpected."

He moved his gaze back to the teal-haired girl.

"This team, as a whole, could turn out to be something dangerous. They may seem ordinary, but their potential… I guess I can tell why she decided to go to Seirin."

He let out a soft chuckle of amusement, his lips curving into a smile.

"As expected of the girl who I had fallen in love with."

* * *

And for those who didn't get who the pink-haired guy is, it's Momoi. Yup, he's a guy here.

**Next Chapter:**

**Have some faith in him**


	14. Chapter 14

My thanks to **Xxdreamergirl95xX**, **hitomi65**, **Erstine 13624** and **BrokenBlackCat** for reviewing!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket._

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning  
**

**Chapter 14**

**Have some faith in him  
**

"Kagami's really amazing. He's not just keeping Dad in check with those jumps of his… it's like he's already on par with him. Looks like his training has paid off."

"But… don't you think he's trying a bit too hard?" Riko questioned.

"It's a good thing, I'd say. It's always good to work hard for anything that you want to achieve," Kikumi added, not looking up from her clipboard.

There was something about Kagami that was bugging her... and she knew well enough what it was. She knew that Riko might have noticed something, but it appears that she hasn't figured it out yet. If she had, they would be working on developing it…

… Kagami's special ability, she means.

It wasn't obvious at this point of time; even Kagami himself hasn't realized it yet. It wasn't something that was all that really special, if you were to compare it to the Generation of Miracles; but it was a unique talent nonetheless. Coupled with his boundless potential, he would definitely grow to be a player capable of facing the Generation of Miracles.

However, it wasn't her position to tell him about that ability.

It was always best for someone to discover one's own talent, she personally feels. She can aid him in his discovery, but in the end he has to be the one who realizes it.

"Tetchan?" She raised her eyebrows, noting the other girl's look of concern. "What's wrong?"

"It's… nothing."

"You're lying. It's about Kagamin, isn't it? You've been staring at him quite intensely."

Tetsuya flinched for a brief moment when Kagami's name was mentioned, but regained her emotionless demeanor soon after.

"Is it something that you can't tell me?"

"It's not that. I was just thinking about something that Ryouko-san told me after the practice match that day… About Kagami-kun becoming like the Generation of Miracles…"

"Ah," Kikumi sighed. "I think I know what is bothering you now."

"Did she tell you about that?"

"By 'that', you are referring to Kagamin?"

"Of course."

"She didn't tell me a thing. I figured it out on my own," She gave Tetsuya a smile. "Don't think so much about it. I don't consider myself the best judge of character in the world, but I'm sure Kagamin won't turn out to be like him."

"I won't be too sure about that if I were you."

"You have to trust him, Tetchan. I know that his hard for you to do after what happened in Middle School… at the very least, give him a chance. Have some faith in him. After all, you chose him to be your light, didn't you?"

"But what if he really turns out to be like them?"

"Then it's your job to bring him back to the right track, as his shadow. Keep an eye on him; you know the signs better than anyone else does. If he starts to stray away, then keep him in check."

"And if he doesn't listen to me?"

"Then I'll send him flying. But I'm sure he'll listen if you explain it to him. Despite how he looks, Kagamin is actually quite humble."

"I know."

"Kuroko-chan," Riko's call interrupted their conversation. "Do you think you can go for the last five minutes?"

"Actually, I'm been ready since the start of this quarter."

"Ah; sorry about that. Okay, go!"

"Do your best, Tetchan! Go out there and crush Dad and his motley crew into a pulp!"

"That goes without saying."

**XXX**

"What… was that supposed to be?" Kagami growled, his fists stuffed into the pockets of his sports jacket. "I still don't get what his problem is."

"Kagami-kun, you're still angry over that thing with Dad?"

"You saw it; didn't you? How he kept calling me an idiot like a five year-old brat?"

"I must admit it; that was rather childish of him."

"Not to mention that friend of yours kept laughing her ass off at it. Does she have something against me or something?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hah?!"

"If I had to guess, I would say that she's probably biased against your hair colour."

"What kind of reason is that to hate me?"

"Who knows?"

"Where is she, anyway? Doesn't she stay next door to you?"

"She and Coach are staying back to observe our opponents for tomorrow."

"Oh yeah. We have two matches tomorrow, don't we?"

"It is, but it's only twelve in the afternoon… Oh, that reminds me. You asked me if I had free time, didn't you? What were you going to ask me after that?"

"Well… I need a favour from you."

"What is it?"

"…"

"Don't tell me you can't remember what it is!"

"That's not it. Allow me to rephrase, since I don't know how to ask this of you."

"Just spill the beans already. I mean, how bad can it be?"

"Well… My parents would like to meet you."

"… Hah?"

**XXX**

And so, here he was; standing outside the Kuroko family home looking like an idiot who was about to have a nervous breakdown at any given time.

"Geez," He mumbled under his breath, scratching the back of his head. "Just why did I agree to this in the first place?"

And he himself knew the reason well enough. Tetsuya had managed to convince him by using what most would refer to as an 'irresistible puppy-eyed gaze'. It didn't seem that she was doing it on purpose, but heck; it worked like a charm.

As of this moment, he had two options.

The first was to just press the doorbell and get it over with. The other was to run back home at full speed.

As much as he wanted to choose the latter, he knew it was rude to not show up when a girl has invited you to her house for dinner… just to meet her parents.

"Hey, you. What do you think you're doing, huh?"

Kagami turned to see a boy his age glare up him, a soccer ball tucked under one arm.

"You got a problem with this house, buster? Let me tell you something: if you want to mess with the people who stay here, you got to go through me, first!"

Huh?

Who is this guy?

"No, I…"

There was something odd about this boy, Kagami noticed. But what?

"Is there something wrong with my face?"

"No; it's just that you look oddly familiar to me."

Almost like a certain annoying manager on his team, he added silently.

"I don't know any guys like you with weird eyebrows! Now out with it! What is your purpose here?"

Oh, how tempted Kagami was right now to give this guy an extra-large serving of a knuckle sandwich.

"Satoru-kun," Another voice, one of an older man, suddenly spoke from behind Kagami. "Please do not be so impolite. He is a guest of ours."

Kagami almost jumped in surprise. He didn't notice the man coming up to them.

And did he just call him a 'guest of ours'? Does that mean that he is Kuroko's…

"K-K-Kotetsu-san!" The boy spluttered. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know—"

"I am not the one you should be apologizing to."

The boy glared at him before giving a slight bow in apology.

"I'm sorry I had insulted you."

"I-It's okay."

"But I don't want to see your face here again, you hear me?"

And with that, the boy stormed off.

Kagami turned around to see the man who was standing behind him. He was surprised to see that he was slightly taller than him... by about five centimeters, if he had to guess. He had jet black hair, and blue eyes that resembled a certain teammate of his.

"You are Kagami-kun, aren't you? Sorry about that boy earlier; I think he meant you no harm. Do forgive him for his rude behaviour."

"T-Thank you for your help earlier. Are you perhaps Kuroko... san's father?"

"I am. My name is Kuroko Kotetsu; you can just refer to me by my first name if you wish. Let's get inside, shall we?"

Before Kagami could say another word, he was ushered through the gates of the house.

"I'm home."

"Dad, you're back. Aunt Tomoe was looking for you."

"I know. She called me on my mobile."

"And, Kagami-kun; it's about time you got here. I thought you were planning to run away or something."

"Well... I was contemplating it."

"You coward."

"What was that you just called me?"

"Tetchan!" A woman's high-pitched call came from further inside the house. "I need your help over here!"

"Coming, mom!" Tetsuya replied before turning back to her teammate. "Why don't you come inside and take a seat first? Dinner will be ready in a while."

"O-Oh. Don't mind if I do."

Tetsuya led Kagami to the combined living-dining room area, which rather thought had a rather cozy atmosphere.

The dining area was close to the door, with six wooden chairs lined up by a rectangular table near a row of short cabinets that stored the plates and bowls. Above the cabinets were a several photo frames, each painted in a unique colour.

Further in was the living room was the living area, with the television screen placed against the wall. In front of it was a round coffee table, surrounded by the sofa and two armchairs. Bookshelves lined one side of the walls, filled with various books and magazines.

"Somehow it's seems kind of… normal."

"How exactly did you picture my house to be like?"

"Oh? So this is Kagami Taiga-chan?"

Kagami turned towards the direction of the kitchen, where a young woman was beaming at him.

She was petite, even for someone who is Japanese. Her hair was the same shade as Tetsuya's, but her eyes were golden in colour.

"Kuroko?" Kagami whispered to the girl.

"Yes?"

"You never mentioned that you had an older sister."

"I don't have one."

"Then who—"

"That is my mom you're staring at."

"Your m-mom?!"

"She just looks young for her age."

"There has to be a limit to how young one can look!"

"Welcome to our little home, Taiga-chan! I'm Tetchan's mother; you can just call me Tetsuno!" Kuroko's mother gave the boy a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you for coming over today!"

"Mom, you're hurting Kagami-kun."

"Oh my! Sorry about that, dear."

"It's… okay…" Kagami managed betweeen pants, trying to catch his breath after all the air had been (quite literally) squeezed out of him.

How could someone so… small be so strong?

"My, aren't you a charming young man?" The woman mused as she examined him. "Quite good looking, too… You almost remind me of Kotetsu-san when he was your age. You play basketball with Tetchan, right? You look so strong, I would have thought that you play rugby instead! And did I mention that your eyebrows are so adorable? The colour of your hair's really interesting, too! Is it dyed? Oh, but it looks natural so I doubt it is. I hope you like meat, because we're having curry tonight with fried breaded pork fillets. I made plenty, so you can eat as much as you want."

"Mom, I think dinner's going to burn if you don't watch the fire…"

"Oh my! How careless of me! I'll be back in just a while; just make yourself at home!"

"Kagami-kun, are you okay? You look like you are being overwhelmed."

"Your mother is… rather talkative, unlike you."

"My relatives all say that I take after my my father in almost everything, but I have my mother's face."

"You know what? I think they're right."

**XXX**

"Taiga-chan, would you like another serving?"

"No thanks. I think I'm rather full."

"That's not surprising. After all, Kagami-kun ate enough to feed a donkey for a week."

"Why a donkey of all animals, huh?"

"It's a good thing, isn't it? Boys should eat more, especially when they're still growing."

"Mom, it would be troublesome if he grows anymore. He's already big enough."

"Oi!"

"But you live alone here in Japan, don't you; Taiga-chan? What about your meals?"

"Well, I can cook for myself; but most of the time, I just eat out."

"At those family restaurants?

"No, actually; I usually go to a burger joint—"

"That won't do!" Tetsuno slammed the table so hard; Kagami thought he heard it crack from the impact. "Those kind of things aren't healthy for you! Goodness, I can't believe you've been living so long without proper nutrition!"

"Well, I…"

"You could come over more often! Aunt Tetsuno will make dinner for you!"

"B-But I don't want to trouble you…"

"You don't have to be so shy about it! Besides, Kotetsu-san has to work overtime very often, so there's only me and Tetchan at home for dinner! It's always good to have more company!"

"But…"

"Tetchan, say something!"

Tetsuya groaned, wondering why she was being dragged into the fray.

"If dad is fine with it, I have no qualms."

"I'm not particularly against it," The man shrugged before taking another bite of his salad, wanting no part in this conversation at all.

"It's settled, then!"

"Oi…"

"It would be best if you would give up, Kagami-kun. Once mom makes up her mind, she will never change it, even if it would lead to the end of all humanity."

"You got to be kidding me…"

"Taiga-kun," Kotetsu gave Kagami's shoulder a firm pat from behind, scaring the red-headed teen.

When did he get there?

"Y-Yes, Kotetsu-san?" Kagami stuttered, not sure whether the gesture was meant to be an act of encouragement or not.

"Welcome to the family… Son."

"Hah?!"

"Congratulations, Kagami-kun; you now have a loving mother to feed you every day with delicious goodies. Good for you."

"Not you too!"

* * *

And so, the Kuroko parents are the biggest shippers of KagaKuro. Who would have guessed.

Just to repeat, the next chapter that will be out on the 17th of January will the last chapter I will be posting until early March.

**Next Chapter:**

**You'll see something amazing**


	15. Chapter 15

I'm glad some of you love Kuroko's parents. It was fun writing them, really. As for Satoru, you'll see him much later in the story.

My thanks to **Erstine 13624**, **hitomi65**, **PiWrite**, **BrokenBlackCat**, **TheMrsBrightside** and **Yui Kagamine** for reviewing!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket and it's still-growing franchise._

* * *

**Parallel: From the Beginning**

**Chapter 15**

**You'll see something amazing**

"Excuse me," One of the nurses looked up from her paperwork as she heard someone call her. "I'm looking for the patient in room 115..."

"Oh! You're here to visit again. If you're looking for him, he's gone out for a walk. You can find him in the gardens."

"Thank you very much!"

**XXX**

In the large garden situated in the hospital grounds, there were many people, all accompanied by friends, relatives or nurses. However, there was one boy who sat alone, watching the scene in front of him.

His ears perked up as the sound of a familiar singing voice came from his right.

This boy with dusty-brown hair looked up at the girl who had approached him with a bright smile on his face.

"Yo. It has been a while, Kikumi-chan."

"Should you be out and about, Teppei-san? Oh, wait. It should be Teppei-senpai now, right?"

"The doctor said that it should be fine," Kiyoshi Teppei let out a small chuckle. "That jersey looks good on you. Did you play today?"

"A little. When did you have such a sweet tongue, hmm? Maybe you have been eating too much black-sugar candy lately. Maybe I should stop buying them for you."

"I was just praising you. So, how's the team doing?"

"You could just ask Riko-senpai about that, right? I know she keeps you updated on news related to the team."

"Still, it's better to hear from another person's perspective, right?"

"If you insist. We played two matches today. The first was against Jitsuzen High, which I volunteered to be in for the second-half of the game. We thrashed them 118 to 51."

"Seriously? That's brutal."

"Not to mention that Tetchan was benched the whole time."

"Your friend from the Generation of Miracles, right?"

"Yup! She didn't play in the other match, either."

"That was against… Kinga, was it? One of last year's top 16 teams. Were they strong?"

"They are; especially since they had a good balance of defense and offense. Still, we beat them 92 to 71. Riko-senpai was so surprised she nearly fainted."

"I can imagine that. Looks like things are going smoothly, hmm?"

"A bit too smoothly, if you asked me. I didn't even have a chance to really let loose. That may be a good thing, though."

"Certainly; that's true," Kiyoshi gave a laugh. "So how are the rest of the first years?"

"Well, the boys seem to have a lot of potential, but they're just not quite there yet. Except for Kagamin."

"That guy from America?"

"He's improving; though it's slow and gradual at the moment. He's probably the type of player whose training needs to be increased little by little; since he would over-work himself if you make him do too much at one go. It's good to be ambitious, but it would be idiotic to ignore the possibility of injury. He's a boy, so he's an idiot."

"Does that mean I'm considered an idiot, since I'm a boy as well?"

"Actually, I consider you an old man."

"That's harsh, hey. So I would assume that he possess a special ability?"

"He himself has yet to discover it, though. Oh, would you look at the time. It's getting late. Let's go back inside; since it's about time for your dinner. And don't you complain that hospital food sucks."

"I quite like it, actually."

"That's why you're an old man. Your taste buds are dead. Well, I got you another packet of sugar candies and some flowers, so be grateful."

"What kind of flowers?"

"The Rose of Sharon. It's an odd name, though; since they're actually a species of hibiscus rather than of a rose."

"The Rose of Sharon… A flower that represents respect, gentleness and belief; huh…"

"As expected of the grandson of a famous Ikebana Master; you know your Language of Flowers properly. If only all grandparents in the world are as nice as yours."

"You're still rebelling against your grandfather?"

"He has no right to decide what I am to do in life. It's not a matter about being his descendant: he only cares for the name of the family. Besides, he already disowned my father for marrying my mother, so he shouldn't even bother about me and my brothers. He almost blew his top when I told him that I would be attending high school at Seirin instead of that snobby school for rich kids."

"I can imagine that," Kiyoshi laughed.

"But I'm glad I chose Seirin, really. The basketball team you built… it's a wonderful team. If only you could return sooner, the team would finally be complete."

Kiyoshi gave a sad smile.

"I would… if I could."

**XXX**

"For a bunch of punks, they aren't so tough, huh."

"It must be because you gave them such a huge trauma from that time, Kagami-kun. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been trembling like leaves on a tree during the entire match."

"It's their fault for being such cowards!"

"It's Kagami-kun's fault for being so scary."

"Whatever! We thrashed them 108 to 41; and that's that!"

It was the third day of the Inter-High preliminaries and Seirin had just defeated Meijo Academy, completely destroying them in the process.

"We're doing well," Furihata commented as the rest of the team took their seats on the bench, taking a well-deserved break.

"At this rate, it'll be easy to make it through the preliminaries and onto the championship league."

"That's too naïve, Fukuda," Izuki scolded.

"It must great to be so young and carefree, hmm?"

"Are you implying that you're not young and carefree, Koga-senpai?"

"That's kinda mean, Fuji-chan."

"Let me tell you something," Hyuuga sighed before continuing with his explanation. "For the past ten years, the same three schools have represented Tokyo in the championship league. These three schools are known as the Three Kings."

"T-The Three Kings?"

"That's some fancy title."

"It's a title they're deserving of, though."

Mitobe nodded in agreement to Izuki's statement.

"These three schools are Shuutoku, Seihou and Senshinkan. They are known as the Kings of the East, North and West respectively. Since they're all equally matched, the top team differs from year to year, but no other team could dream to get anywhere past fourth place. We tried, but we didn't make the mark."

"Not to mention, we will be facing Shuutoku in the finals after we win our fifth match and the semi-final match."

"By the way, Shuutoku did get a member of the Generation of Miracles, didn't they? Just who did they get?"

"They got the Shooting Guard: Midorima Makoto. She has some odd quirks, but I have never seen anyone with a better shooting ability than she does. Her skill's the real deal. Not to mention that she's quite pretty, if I have to say so myself; but people are often put off by her personality. "

"Fujimiya-san, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead, Furihata-kun."

"Have you played against the Generation of Miracles before? I mean, it seems that you're quite familiar with them."

"I have."

"Seriously?"

"But my team got crushed just as any other. Didn't really make a difference though. They are deserving of their title."

"Does that mean you fought against Kuroko?"

"Even though you were old friends?"

"Well…" Kikumi glanced towards Tetsuya, who avoided her gaze. "Tetchan didn't appear during that entire match."

"Eh?"

"What do you mean by that?"

An awkward silence filled the air when neither girl said anything. Fortunately, it was soon broken by the sound of cheers from the audience.

"What's going on?" Kawahara muttered curiously.

"… Look like they have come."

"Well, it is better for you all to see for yourself than for me to tell you," Riko finally spoke, though there was a hint of worry in her voice before she stood up with a smile. "Better prepare yourselves, you first-year brats. You'll see something incredible today; because they are supposed to be more amazing this year."

"That's…"

"One of the Three Kings, Shuutoku High!"

The Seirin team watched in silence as the players of Shuutoku High entered the stadium, dressed in their orange jerseys and sweat pants.

A loud and powerful chant of the school's name could be heard from the seats on their right, where two large banners with the words 'Persistent and Tireless' were hung.

"It's an orange mob," Kikumi muttered under her breath, slightly amazed at how many members the club had.

"I'm going over to say hi," Kagami announced, throwing his used towel on the bench.

"Ahh," Hyuuga mouthed in ignorant acknowledgement before he realized what was it that his red-headed junior had just said. "Oi!"

He walked up to the green-haired girl, who paused in her tracks when she spotted him.

Kagami looked down at the small teddy bear that was balanced on her palm, raised a curious eyebrow at it and looked up at her.

"You're Midorima Makoto, aren't you?"

"Yes; and who are you?"

Takao Kazunari, who was standing behind her, snickered at her arrogant act of ignorance; since she was already well aware of the red-head's identity.

"A handshake?" She questioned when Kagami held his left hand out to her.

The latter only gave a smirk in reply.

She let out a sigh, proceeding to hold the bear in her right hand and extending the other to the male. To her surprise, the red-head wrote his name, school and jersey number on her palm. With a thick, black oil-based marker to boot.

Behind her, Takao howled with laughter.

Another loud burst of laughter could be heard from the Seirin bench, courtesy of their manager.

"Where did he get that from, anyway?" Tsuchida wondered aloud.

Midorima gasped with surprise before frowning at him, completely ignoring her teammate who was about to expire from laughing too much.

"Y-You're… This is outrageous," She spat, retrieving a handkerchief from the pocket of her jersey to wipe off the black ink. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You seem to be the kind of person who would claim that she won't remember me if I had introduced myself the normal way."

"Darn right," Takao commented, trying his best to hold in his amusement.

"And I want the person whom I'm about to get revenge on for my seniors to remember me well."

The green-haired girl sighed, pushing up her glasses with the taped fingers of her left hand. She looked up at Kagami with mild annoyance.

"Revenge? You're a rather reckless person, aren't you?"

"Hah?"

"You. You're from Seirin, aren't you?" Takao finally spoke. "Haven't you heard anything from your seniors at all? Last year, Seirin was destroyed by the Three Kings… by tripling their scores."

"Wha…?"

"You are free to say whatever you want to," Midorima added to her partner's statement. "But the difference in strength is something that is absolute. Even if we were to play against each other in the championship game, history can only repeat itself."

"That is not true," Tetsuya's voice suddenly came from behind Kagami, shocking the three. "You can only speculate that based on the past. You won't know what will happen until it happens, Makoto-san."

"Kuroko. As expected, I don't like you. I can never tell what exactly you are thinking, especially from those eyes of yours. There's plenty from the past half a year that I have to tell you, but… it is something I rather not tell you here. That aside, you had better join us in the finals."

"For a girl, you sure got quite a mouth on you. You went to Middle School with Mako-chan, didn't you?" Takao walked towards Tetsuya, about to wrap one arm casually over her shoulder.

Fortunately, she was pulled away before that could happen.

"I'm sorry, but no one touches our little Tetchan. Even if it's you, Kazunari."

"C-Captain!"

"Your former Captain, you mean?" Midorima muttered under her breath as Ootsubo raised his head to look towards them.

"It has been a while."

"Who are you calling little, Kikumi-san? You're the one who is shorter than me."

"Tetchan! So mean!"

"Capt— I mean, Kikumi-san, what are you doing in Tokyo? And why are you in Seirin?"

"Does everyone have to ask me the same question? I choose whichever school I want to attend and I don't see how this is any of your business."

"But you could have gone to a better school with your skill…" Takao started to protest, but decided against it.

"… It looks like the rest of our old team didn't tell you what happened after you left, did they?"

"Huh?" The boy could only give her a puzzled look in response.

Kagami himself was feeling rather perplexed at the moment, for he had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. He looked towards Tetsuya, who seemed as if she knows something, but had no intention on telling. Midorima herself looked the same as her former teammate.

"How long are you going to keep talking!" Ootsubo's call broke the awkward silence. "Hurry up and get ready!"

"Coming!" Takao called as he and Midorima walked back to the benches.

The two of them gave their respective ex-teammates a final glance before proceeding with their preparations.

"Tetsuya. I will show you how naïve that thinking of yours is."

"Oh yeah? Bring it on!"

"She wasn't talking to you, Kagamin."

"Looks like Kuroko-chan have them quite an earful, hmm?" Riko couldn't help but to smile after hearing what the teal-haired girl had said earlier.

"Well, it's not like she didn't say anything that wasn't on our minds. But there is one thing that is bothering me."

"If it's about Kikumi-chan, I might be thinking the same thing as you are. Even though she has played in that one match yesterday, she has only played normally. But her exceptional stamina during practices, her stats, her ability to notice things that even I had missed… not to mention her familiarity with the Generation of Miracles and her connection with that guy…"

"Your point is?"

"That girl… just what is she, exactly?"

**XXX**

Everyone in the Seirin team watched in awe as Midorima shot the ball, sending it flying into the air in a high arc.

"How… is that even possible?" Hyuuga muttered under his breath. "Most people don't have a sense of distance like that, oi."

"That's why I said that her shooting ability is the real deal, didn't I?"

"As long as Makoto-san doesn't lose her form, all her shots will definitely go in."

"S-Seriously?"

"That's kind of unfair, isn't it?"

"Not to mention that she's returning to defend before the ball even falls into the hoop. That shot would be impossible to block, don't you think?"

"The time taken to make that kind of shots is abnormally long. It's not easy on the mind…"

Hyuuga continued watching the match as the green-haired girl made shot after shot with a frown on his face. For some reason, he was getting a really bad feeling about that girl. But what exactly was it?

Could it be that there was more to the number-one scorer of the Generation of Miracles…?

"Hyuuga-kun? Is something the matter?"

"Nothing at all."

"Well, I'm relieved to hear you say that, but…"

"What's up?"

"Shuutoku's more dangerous than it had been last year. Their outside isn't a problem anymore; in fact, it's even more dangerous now."

"Makes last year's performance almost look cute, doesn't it?"

"Why are you taking the words out of my mouth?" RIko chided, giving Hyuuga a slightly-annoyed glance.

"I was thinking the same thing."

"I bet we all are," Izuki interrupted

"Anyway, shall we get going?" Hyuuga opened the door that led to the hallways of the stadium. "Let's go ho—"

"Hold it right there!" Riko gave the seniors a shove, causing all five of them to stumble forward.

They fell and landed on the ground in one large pile, Hyuuga at the bottom and Koganei right at the very top.

"Did you idiots forget that we have another game today? Have you gone stupid or something?"

"I was just kidding…" Hyuuga groaned. "Izuki, can you get off me? Have you gained a hundred kilograms of weight or something?"

"It's not me. I can't move until Mitobe does."

"…"

"Sorry about that, Mitobe; but I can't get up. Koga; will you get of me already?"

"Seniors, are you all right? Here."

"Thanks, Kuroko-chan," Koganei took the girl's outstretched hand as the rest of the juniors proceeded to help their seniors.

"We have another match? Seriously?"

Everyone grimaced at Kagami as Riko started to lose her temper.

"You really are a big idiot, Kagami!" She roared at him, shoving a sheet of paper into his face. "Take a proper look at the tournament bracket! We play two games today and on the last day!"

"But again, two games a day is really tiring."

"That's true. Even if we get a break, the fatigue still remains."

"We're doing the semi-finals and the finals in one day? So we have to play against another team before Shuutoku?" Kagami muttered under his breath before noticing something.

"Coach, about the Three Kings…" He turned the sheet of paper around, pointing to the name of a particular school. "Isn't this…"

"That's right. It's likely that our opponent in the semi-finals will be them: Seihou High."

"And with Shuutoku in the finals, that would mean that we will have to play against two kings in a row."

"That's just going to be impossible."

"Good schools have lots of good players on reserve, don't they? This going to be hard on our starters."

"Kagamin, why are you grinning like that? Have you gone mad?"

"But I can't help it! We're playing two games in a row, both against strong opponents… I can't ask for more!"

"Who are you trying to impress, huh? Kuroko?"

"Why am I being dragged into this? But I have to admit that I'm getting rather excited myself."

"T-Tetchan! Just what kind of weird germs did you get from Kagamin?"

"What germs?"

"I hope not."

"For some reason, the way you denied that makes me rather pissed."

"What I mean is… Don't difficult situations light a fire in you?"

Everyone couldn't help but to smile in agreement.

"Yosh! I'm burning up! I'm going to practice!"

"Kagamin, please don't steal lines from other anime."

"That aside, you should be resting!"

"Is there only basketball in that brain of yours?"

"As expected, you really are an idiot!"

* * *

Today's the 17th of January.

Do you know what that means?

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY... to me.** Yup, I'm another year older; another year wiser (or not).

And since it's my birthday, there's two more weeks to Kuroko's birthday.

A side note: I've started a livejournal account to co-post my fanfic, especially my KuroBasu ones. I'll post the notes for my OCs there eventually. you can find it at my profile.

And from here, Parallel FTB will be subjected to 6 weeks of study break. See you in March!

Cheers,  
_Dreams of the Future_

**Next Chapter:**

**I have an idea...**


	16. Author's note 01

I think most of you should know by now that when there's an expected author's note like this from me, it's not good news. Well, depends on how you interpret it.

I did say that Parallel FTB (From the Beginning) would be on break until the start of March. However, I would have to extend that hiatus because...

**MY LAPTOP BROKE DOWN.**

And on the day before my assignment was due.

So suay (singlish for unfortunate), right?

Actually, my laptop broke a week and a half ago, and before the Lunar New Year. And I won't have time to send it to the service center until this Friday because I have to rush on my studying.

And that would mean that all my files in my computer are gone. Not only my half-done one-shots and five chapters worth of Parallel FTB, but also my SCHOOLWORK.

Yeah.

I'm ruined. (quote from Cha Tae Hyun)

So I was rethinking about how I'm going to approach re-typing what I had lost and I have come to a conclusion.

From now on, I will do longer chapters for this story. BUT updates will be irregular from now on.

Not because of lazy, but I still have dozens (okay, maybe only about nine as of now) of one-shots that I want to do.

And not to forget that I still have many other 'series' that people are wanting me to write. Such as the Kuroko no Obake series, my Phantom of the Opera Parody, Sex Pistols crossover, the vampire/immortal one and the Fairy Tale parody series. Yup, that's a heck lot.

To be honest, I wanted to drop this series, but that would be such a waste, seeing how I've already planned for it to go all the way to the part where Seirin beats Touou.

So this will now have irregular updates with longer chapters.

I don't know when I can start on this (I'm working on another one-shot in between studying) again, but I'll try to get something done by the middle of March.

Until then!

_Dreams of the Future_


End file.
